Finally, the perfect opportunity had come.
It was time for Cain, a proud knight safeguarding this great empire, to fulfill his duty.

The moment to repay the kindness he’d received had finally arrived! Naturally, a smile crept onto Cain’s face, but…

‘This is awful.’

That smile quickly vanished.

How could it not? The reactions of his fellow comrades were incredibly disappointing.

‘The discipline in the imperial army is terribly lax lately.’

Cain was somewhat aware of reality. He knew that many ungrateful individuals prioritized their own safety over the grace bestowed upon them by the great empire.

So, seeing comrades in the imperial army hesitating and unwilling to step onto the battlefield was something he could somewhat understand.

But this was pushing it too far.

“Fck, fck, fck, fck.”

“Why the hell is that lunatic Zion tormenting us even after death?! What did I ever do wrong?”

“Please don’t come over here, just go away… please don’t come over here, just go away…”

Everyone looked utterly deranged. The nonsensical ramblings about Zion were so laughable they were pathetic.
Cain genuinely questioned if they were even human. At this point, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

He might have experienced a meteoric rise in rank thanks to Prince Renya, but he had entered the 30th Division less than two years ago.
As a newcomer trying not to interfere too much, he had been patient, but now it was hitting his limit.

“What the hell are you all doing?”

If the discipline had fallen apart, it needed to be fixed.
And the only one who could do that right now was Cain, who firmly had a soldier’s spirit.

If it hadn’t been for Prince Renya, there was no way he would have had any experience giving motivational speeches at this stage in his career. What he needed to say was giving him a bit of a headache…

But that doubt was brief.
The absurd parts were glaringly obvious, and those contradictions were standing out like sore thumbs.

“I can’t believe this. Are you really scared of some Black Fangs?”

Everyone seemed way too scared of the Black Fangs.

But to the cold, calculating elite like Cain, that terrorist organization was not something to fear at all.

“I killed three of the Black Fangs’ agents yesterday. They were so weak I didn’t even need to use mana.”

While the world saw the Black Fangs as some formidable shadow organization shaking the empire from behind the curtain, that view was full of hot air.
It was all shine with nothing substantial beneath.

The fact that he had taken on the role of a mining camp manager, which the Black Fangs despised the most, and still managed to deny his affiliation until the end showed good but false loyalty…
‘But they couldn’t even handle mana properly.’

Throw a potential knight of about fifteen against one of their agents, and it would most likely end up in a crushing defeat for the latter.
What may seem like a bit of a belly was actually muscle compressed from real combat. Contrast that with the agent’s purely flabby body.

It was beyond obvious that they hadn’t even done the most basic physical training, let alone mana training.
If that was what one of their agents looked like, how bad were the rest? They were clearly a bunch of useless scrubs.

So there was no need to fear the might of the Black Fangs.
That fact was so clear…

Yet, for some reason, after hearing Cain’s words, his fellow comrades remained silent. What a bizarre situation.

“Are you guys really falling for a bunch of conspiracy theories and absurd rumors?”

In his frustration, those words blurted out, but they still didn’t make any sense.
Like the enormous underground city located under the empire, or…

That the only remaining Sword Master, Balzac, was secretly a spy for the Black Fangs…
That the Black Fangs had already caught up with the empire’s technological power and were quietly preparing to leverage it against kingdoms and republics for a revolution…
That the Holy Church and even Prince Renya had been infiltrated by the Black Fangs—such absurdities.

If anyone had their wits about them, they simply couldn’t believe those rumors. Heck, the idea of unicorns existing would sound more plausible!
But oddly enough, the expressions on his comrades’ faces grew even more ridiculous after hearing Cain.
The only thing those faces conveyed was one message:

‘…They’re complete idiots.’

Unbelievably, those monkey-like fools seriously believed that nonsense.
A wave of disgust washed over Cain.
He could hardly believe that he was of the same species as them; nausea was at the forefront.

He hated monkeys. That was Cain’s true sentiment, and he genuinely wanted to give up on these idiots but…

– “I trust you. As a composed individual, you surely wouldn’t fall for such absurd manipulation.”

Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.
The words Prince Renya had said to him were still fresh in his mind.
– “However, there are foolish ones who do, and it is our duty as superior beings to guide them.”

Following that command, Cain had strictly controlled and concealed such rumors so that the inferior masses wouldn’t fall for silly nonsense.
While it was more cumbersome than expected, he couldn’t betray the grace and trust bestowed upon him by the prince.

Currently, the situation wasn’t much different.
Also acting upon the prince’s orders, he had to lead those fools who feared a mere small terrorist group based on ludicrous rumors.
That would be him.

“Are you people really still claiming to be soldiers of the empire?!”

His shout rang out.
Naturally, all eyes turned to Cain.
“The enemy is just a bunch of petty criminals! How can a proud knight of the empire be afraid of such scoundrels?!”

His bold voice echoed through the headquarters of the 30th Division.
Cain genuinely believed that the conviction radiating from his voice would enlighten those weak-minded monkeys.

“There’s no option to retreat! Fight! It is your duty as knights!!!”

The follow-up shout stirred their fighting spirit, reigniting the flames that had been long extinguished.
That was the final blow.

Everyone’s expressions solidified. Voices of gratitude resonated throughout the 30th Division as the commander approached him, saying he was a model knight worthy of admiration.

And soon followed a declaration to charge.
The knights, having regained their soldier spirit, did not magnificently vanquish the wicked foes threatening the empire… No such event occurred.
“What the hell is this idiot babbling about?!”

“Did that bastard get hit in the head? Three years ago, we took an oath… Oh, wasn’t he absent three years ago?”
In a shocking twist, they treated him like a fool. The leader of those monkeys, the commander, desperately shouted at him.
“Please shut up. I’ll explain later. For now, we need to run…”

But that statement couldn’t be finished.
– Kwah-ah-ahng!

A colossal explosion reverberated through the air. In an instant, the enchanted protective barriers of the wall shattered.
Amidst the dust, a group in black hoods could be caught in glimpses.

It was all too apparent what this meant. They had invaded. The Black Fangs were here.

A dire situation as the headquarters had been attacked.
Yet, a smile crept onto Cain’s lips. Isn’t this for the better?

No more would those cowards try to run away. In direct combat, victory was guaranteed. There was no reason to avoid fighting.
“Stay back, just in case. Let’s test if the oath still works.”

The man at the forefront with white hair declared. Setting the table for an easy leadership takedown.
Had they cast some sort of camouflage? They were shamelessly imitating their dead leader, likely trying to confuse their enemies.
It was preposterous.

In reality, they were incredibly weak, and the fact that other people would mistake them for strong was a tale more fit for the realm of fantasy.
The fact that they believed that would work was simply ridiculous.

“So, how about it… Do you all want to dance?”

The man impersonating the leader spoke with a grin. Seeing that made Cain barely hold back a laugh.
That guy must have lost it, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. For someone like him to be the leader, it showed just how low the standards of the Black Fangs were!

But for Cain, that was a good thing.
Realizing that the Black Fangs were led by a complete buffoon, Cain believed the monkeys of the 30th Division would slowly start to grasp the reality.

Human instinct is to be weak against the strong and strong against the weak. They would quickly switch their stance and ignite their fighting spirit!
Look at that as evidence.

The commander, now over sixty, was leading the way while shaking his belly and doing a tap dance!
“…Huh?”