After calming Lara down, Han took his seat.
This time, Lara had been fairly serious about asking to be transferred to another team, so persuading her hadn’t been easy, but Han managed to win her over with his practiced way with words.
“……Fine. I guess there’s no helping it. Young and kind as I am, I’ll have to put up with it.”
“…Thank you.”
Han felt as though her description of herself had gained an extra word compared to last time, but decided not to dwell on it.
After calming Lara down, Han turned his gaze toward the new faces.
First was a young man whose eyes constantly darted around, gauging the mood.
Name : West Samuel
Gender : Male
Age : 22
Characteristics : Former Alkant prison guard
…….
‘A survivor of Alkant Grand Prison. His career isn’t as impressive as the other team members’, but the fact that he survived that tragedy alone is noteworthy.’
That day.
After a tsunami struck Alkant, every prisoner who escaped had waged war against the prison guards.
From what Han had heard, they had vented all the resentment they had kept suppressed like wild beasts, with blood spraying everywhere.
There had been plenty of powerful criminals among them, so simply surviving that ordeal was more than enough to qualify Samuel for the Special Unit.
‘But his special note is the problem.’
The word written under Samuel’s special notes.
‘Coward.’
If it was serious enough to be separately noted on his profile, he had to be extraordinarily timid.
Then how had he survived that tragedy?
No, more importantly, how had he even become a prison guard in the first place?
“How are you supposed to go around catching criminals when you’re scared stiff like that?”
As though voicing Han’s question for him, Lara asked bluntly.
Her attitude was undeniably rude, but there was also something refreshingly direct about it.
“M-Me?”
“Yeah, you. Who else would I be talking to?”
“……Um. But no matter how I look at it, I think I’m older than you. Shouldn’t you speak a little more politely?”
“What are you talking about? Do you have any sense or not? Since when does age matter in the military?”
“…….”
Samuel looked bewildered, but he couldn’t argue because she wasn’t exactly wrong.
Fabian, sitting beside him, patted Samuel on the back.
“Try to understand her. It is only shocking at first. Eventually, you will grow accustomed to this level of rudeness.”
“……Ah.”
“For reference, I still have not gotten used to it.”
“…….”
Sensing that Samuel’s future was looking bleak, Fabian continued patting him on the back.
‘The bigger problem than Samuel is this one….’
Meanwhile, Han turned his gaze toward the final team member, who hadn’t spoken a single word.
Perhaps he had no interest in conversing with the others.
He simply sat there, his emotionless eyes fixed ahead.
Name : Louis Allen
Gender : Male
Age : 21
Characteristics : Former Alkant prison guard
…….
‘Louis Allen. A talented man who entered Alkant at the top of his class. They say he has an astonishing talent for swordsmanship.’
In fact, Han had known Louis Allen’s name even before receiving his profile.
He was fairly famous.
Allen’s father had held a high-ranking position at Alkant Grand Prison, and Allen himself had shown exceptional skill from an early age in swordsmanship using Mobility Gear, appearing in newspapers from time to time.
Naturally, his father’s influence had probably played some part in wanting to boast about his son.
Even so, those who had actually witnessed Louis Allen’s swordsmanship had been unanimous.
His ability was ‘real.’
‘The problem is that during one demonstration where Allen proved his skills, he swung his sword far too mercilessly and seriously injured his sparring partner.’
It was fortunate that he had been using a blunted practice sword.
Otherwise, his opponent might have lost his life.
Allen had also personally captured a criminal before.
By the time he was finished, the criminal had reportedly been reduced to a bloody mess and was barely still breathing.
Han himself tended to use force when arresting criminals.
But Allen went even further.
[Special Notes : Psychopath (Psycho-path)]
“Whew…….”
Recalling the profile, Han rubbed the corner of his eye.
He had already known this, but every single member of his team had far too much personality.
Enough to make them difficult to handle.
‘Fabian is a womanizer and a gambling addict. Samuel is a coward. Allen is a psychopath….’
At this point, Han couldn’t help wondering whether someone had deliberately assembled this lineup just to test him.
“It looks like you’re going to have a difficult time, Team Leader.”
Lara looked at Han sympathetically, as though she had absolutely nothing to do with the hardship in question.
But having already gone into the field with her, Han knew very well.
The fatal special note attached to Lara, the so-called genius mage.
“…….”
Han started to say something, then stopped.
The youngest State-Certified Mage.
A former sergeant of the Covert Mobile Unit.
A survivor of the Alkant Tragedy.
A genius swordsman who had entered Alkant at the top of his class.
…There was no doubt that they were talented individuals in their respective fields.
But looking at these team members, each carrying some enormous flaw of their own, Han sank deep into thought.
‘I need to find a solution as soon as possible.’
Otherwise, before they managed to catch any criminals, his teammates—and Han himself—would be the ones going down.
***
While searching for a solution, the person Han thought of was Gilbert.
He hadn’t expected to seek Gilbert out immediately after the man suggested training together, but Gilbert’s team happened to be on standby today as well, making the timing ideal.
Otherwise, there was no telling when their schedules would overlap again.
“Team Leader Gilbert’s group is at Training Ground B.”
After confirming Gilbert’s team’s location with the administrative office, Han headed toward the training ground.
On the way, he picked up a protein shake and some ice water.
Even between close acquaintances, it was only proper not to arrive empty-handed when asking for a favor—
That was the official reason.
The real reason was that conversations always went more smoothly once Gilbert had a protein shake in his hands.
‘A man who would even conserve his tears if it helped muscle growth.’
‘A man who practically lives in the fitness room outside of sleeping and mission hours.’
That was Captain Gilbert.
“Get your heads straight! If this were the field, you’d already have died three times—!!”
The training ground had been made by repurposing an abandoned building.
The moment Han entered the place, which had the distinct atmosphere of a slum, Gilbert’s thunderous voice rang out.
Some people didn’t realize it because Gilbert was usually smiling good-naturedly, but fundamentally, he was an uncompromising stickler for regulations.
Especially during training.
He turned into a tiger of an instructor, almost as though he had become a completely different person.
“Your formula deployment is too slow! Can’t you do it any faster?!”
“Is that gun just decoration?! If you’re going to leave it sitting there, why the hell are you carrying it? Planning to use it on your own head after the criminals capture you?!”
“You’re completely out of sync! Again—!”
Every voice belonged to Gilbert.
His team members only occasionally made noises that sounded as though they were dying.
‘…Still as merciless as ever.’
Han sat on a suitable structure and watched them.
Gilbert was facing all four members of his team by himself.
Far from being pushed back, he was overwhelming them.
It looked like a fully grown adult taking on boys and girls who had only just finished elementary school.
Then again, Gilbert’s fists were acknowledged even within the Special Unit.
So perhaps that was only natural.
‘I suppose they’re only managing to endure because they’re Gilbert’s team.’
Han analyzed the strength of Gilbert’s team.
They had grown so much that they were difficult to compare with the people Han had first seen.
Their bodies and minds had been tempered through intense training and field experience, and there was no longer any trace of the green rookies who had just entered the Special Unit.
Gilbert criticized them harshly, but in truth, their teamwork and individual ability had matured considerably.
Though it was a little absurd for Han, who had joined around the same time as them, to be evaluating them this way.
“Take a break!”
A short while later, Gilbert, who had already noticed Han’s presence, stopped the training.
If Han hadn’t come, Gilbert probably would have continued for at least another hour without rest.
“For Han to come looking for me personally… I suppose there’ll be an aurora in the Republic’s sky tomorrow.”
“Please do not say that. I am afraid it might actually happen.”
“Bwahaha! A joke. Just a joke. You bastards! Team Leader Han brought you cold water, so drink it gratefully!”
Han handed over the ice water and protein shake.
Gilbert thanked him, then emptied the one-liter protein shake straight into his mouth.
It was the largest size available on the market, but apparently it wasn’t large enough for Gilbert.
“Nothing beats protein after cardio!”
“You enjoy cardio as well?”
“No. Not at all.”
Gilbert’s expression instantly turned serious.
Apparently, while a moderate amount of exercise was acceptable, he hated cardio because it fundamentally caused muscle loss.
According to him, the protein was necessary precisely to replenish the muscle that had been lost.
“…Even so, I cannot neglect training. Without stamina, I would get exhausted from running before I even had a chance to make an arrest.”
“That is true.”
After exchanging a few words with Gilbert, Han went straight to the point.
After hearing a rough explanation of Han’s team’s circumstances, Gilbert nodded thoughtfully.
“I see. So they are in exactly the sort of condition that gets people killed in the field.”
Han’s team had plenty of talented people… but they were still unrefined iron.
Each possessed weaknesses so severe that they nearly overshadowed their strengths.
Unless those impurities were properly removed, it was obvious they wouldn’t last long.
The Special Unit operated in places where a single small mistake or weakness could easily cost someone an arm, a leg, or their head.
“That is why I would like to ask your team to conduct joint training with us.”
Han spoke politely.
If possible, he wanted to address each of his team members’ problems slowly, one at a time.
But circumstances didn’t allow for that.
Even while on standby, they could receive a mission at any moment.
‘If we’re lucky enough to get an assignment arresting lower-tier mages, it might be fine. But anything else….’
What if the mission involved a massive organization like the Big Three?
What if they had to face mages above their own tier?
The thought alone was horrifying.
That was precisely why Han needed the help of Gilbert’s experienced team.
Even a single training session against them would provide valuable nourishment for Han’s team members.
“Heh heh.”
Gilbert continued thinking.
Then, seeing Han’s attitude, he grinned broadly enough to reveal all his white teeth.
Against his pitch-black skin, they looked even brighter.
“There is no need to ask. I was the one who suggested it in the first place, was I not? I did add that little condition about waiting until your team became useful, but thinking about it now, that was unnecessary. This is us we are talking about!”
Gilbert readily agreed.
When Han expressed his gratitude, Gilbert laughed heartily and told him not to bother.
The two immediately began discussing the training method.
Once most of the details had been decided, Han cautiously spoke.
“…There is one more condition I would like to add.”
“Hmm? Sure. Say it. Anything should be fine.”
“…….”
Han recalled his team members’ profiles.
Using the information he possessed, he rapidly ran through countless simulations and calculations in his head before reaching a conclusion.
“The team leaders will not directly participate in the training. However, if an unexpected situation occurs—or if either team leader judges that one is about to occur—we may intervene freely.”
“Good. Perfectly reasonable. My people are not the sort to hold back, and there is clearly a difference in ability between the two teams. Better to prepare for the unexpected.”
Gilbert wasn’t boasting or being arrogant.
Han knew that perfectly well.
Among Han’s team, only Fabian, the former sergeant of the Covert Mobile Unit, possessed substantial field experience.
Lara was the only other one with any real experience, and even she had only been on one actual operation.
However…….
“…….”
Han kept his thoughts to himself.
If his concern proved unnecessary, all the better.
The best outcome would be for nothing to go wrong.
“Then I will return with my team members in one hour.”
Han left the training ground.