"It hurts so much… that bug's bite is insanely painful."
Akidou stepped out of the infirmary, one leg heavily bandaged, leaning on his crutch as he moved slowly. From afar, Shinji spotted him and shouted.
"Ah! Akidou!"
He and Lio quickly ran over.
"Hey Shinji, where is Alba and Omelet?"
Akidou asked while looking around, but Shinji simply shook his head.
"I don't know… they were just here a moment ago."
Shinji took out a few peanuts and handed them to him.
"Thanks, Shinji."
Akidou was about to pop one into his mouth when a panicked voice rang out from the distance.
"Hey! Everyone!"
The group turned to see Alba and Omelet running toward them with anxious expressions.
"What happened, Alba?"
Alba spoke while catching his breath.
"Just now… Omelet and I… we ran into Commander Argos!"
Omelet nodded and added.
"He looked really scary… even scarier than back in Najarin Forest!"
Alba straightened up and pulled out a gold coin.
"Here, the reward for this morning's mission."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"No way, a gold coin?!"
Akidou stared at it in shock, taking it into his hand, his eyes gleaming.
"One gold coin is worth hundreds of silver coins… we're rich!"
While they were still admiring it, a voice called out.
"Hey, are you guys the new recruits from Squad 2?"
They looked up.
"Napoleta?"
They all exclaimed at once. Standing before them was Napoleta, an elite soldier from their squad.
"Shh, be quiet."
He gestured for silence, still carrying two large bags in his hands.
Alba asked in confusion.
"Napoleta, why are you here?"
Napoleta glanced at the bags and lifted one slightly.
"Food is scarce right now. The first floor is completely out, so I had to sneak down here to buy some."
He lowered the bag and motioned forward.
"Come on, let's head back to the Military District."
Just then, a voice echoed from inside the infirmary.
"Keep it down, you kids. It's late already."
It was Stella, slowly stepping outside. The moment Napoleta saw that, he panicked and ran.
"Commander Stella!"
Seeing his reaction, the others quickly followed. Stella stepped out but saw no one and looked confused.
"What the… ghosts?"
While running, Alba asked.
"Hey, why are you running like your life depends on it?"
Napoleta replied while glancing back.
"I'm outside during curfew without permission. If I get caught, I'll be taken to the Hall of Judgement!"
Running behind them, Shinji suddenly noticed something odd.
"Akidou? Doesn't your leg still hurt?"
Akidou glanced down.
"Of course it does, but it's not like I can stop now."
After running for a while, they finally stopped, breathing heavily. Napoleta looked at Alba.
"Hey, carry these bags for me. You're big, you should be fine."
Akidou set his foot down, having dropped his crutch earlier, and leaned on Omelet for support before asking.
"What about us? If we get caught, will we be punished?"
Napoleta shook his head.
"No. You guys are on a mission assigned by the Supreme Grand Commander, so you're exempt from curfew for 24 hours."
He stretched and continued walking.
"As for me, if I get caught, I'll be sent to the Hall of Judgement. It's a minor offense though, so probably just a mid-level trial."
Shinji looked confused.
"Akidou… Hall… Ju… Judgement… what is that?"
Akidou answered.
"It's a place where criminals are judged. If you're curious, we can go watch in a few days later."
They continued moving. Akidou had to lean on Omelet to walk, Alba carried the two heavy bags, while Shinji and Lio walked behind, casually eating peanuts.
Alba looked into one of the bags and saw meat, some vegetables, and rice.
"Napoleta, this is for tomorrow's meals, right?"
Napoleta shook his head.
"No. That's food for the entire squad for the next month."
Everyone froze.
"You're joking, right? How can that feed dozens of people for a whole month?"
Napoleta turned back.
"That's the entire team's savings. This is all we could afford."
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, you guys haven't contributed yet. Make sure to pay your share tomorrow."
Alba looked at the gold coin in his hand with regret.
"No way… I have to give it up already…?"
He sighed.
"I haven't even used it yet…"
Eventually, they arrived at the Military District. Everyone walked inside, but Napoleta remained outside.
"What's wrong, Napoleta?"
Shinji asked.
Napoleta took a step forward, and the heavy iron gate immediately slammed shut.
"I don't have permission, so the gate won't open for me."
He then climbed over the fence and jumped inside, brushing the dirt off himself.
"Tomorrow, someone will come to train us. Get some sleep early."
Alba immediately asked.
"Is it Commander Argos?"
Napoleta shook his head.
"I don't know, but it definitely won't be him."
He walked toward the building and pressed a button on the wall. Instantly, all the lights went out, plunging everything into darkness.
He opened a door on the ground floor.
"I'm heading to sleep. See you all tomorrow."
With that, he stepped inside and closed the door.
Omelet helped Akidou up the stairs, followed by Shinji and Lio. Each step made the staircase creak loudly.
When they reached their room, Shinji opened the door. The familiar small space appeared, containing only a table and a chair.
He immediately dropped onto his old bed, while Lio climbed up to the top bunk.
"Good night, Lio."
Shinji waved, and Lio waved back.
Outside in the yard, Alba had set up a small tent to sleep in since his large body couldn't fit inside the room.
Everything gradually fell into silence. The whole group rested, preparing for the day ahead.