Akidou sat outside with several other injured soldiers, his face still slightly tense from the previous fight. Napoleta brought them a plate of grilled meat along with some drink and set it down in front of them. The injured group immediately dug in, eating eagerly with satisfied expressions, while those standing nearby could only watch with envious eyes.
"Must be nice… it's been a long time since I've had meat…"
Suddenly, a man came flying straight toward them, crashing heavily onto the ground and startling everyone. In the distance, Ganso laughed loudly after throwing him.
"Your stamina is terrible! Next one, hurry up!"
He raised his hand and pointed straight at Vdolky from Squad 3.
"You there, that weird mask of yours looks pretty cool."
Vdolky lifted his hand to cover the armored piece over his mouth, then quietly stepped forward.
"What's your ability?"
Ganso asked.
"To change my size."
At once, Vdolky's body began to tremble, then gradually expanded. Within moments, he had grown so large that he occupied nearly half of the sandy field. Even so, Ganso showed no concern. He bent down, picked up a small stone from the ground, and asked while holding it:
"Do you… know your own weakness?"
Vdolky thought for a moment before replying:
"No… maybe speed."
Ganso shook his head.
"Wrong."
He turned his body, gripped the stone tightly, and hurled it at incredible speed toward Vdolky. The stone barely grazed him, yet instantly tore into the tendon in Vdolky's leg, sending blood spraying out.
"Oh my—!"
"Run!"
Vdolky staggered and lost his balance. The people below panicked and scrambled away. A moment later, Vdolky's massive body collapsed to the ground. Although he tried to shrink back down, the impact still sent dust and sand billowing across the training field.
Ganso remained where he stood, shielding his face from the sand with one hand as he spoke calmly:
"Your weakness is that oversized body!"
After that, Vdolky was brought outside to rest beside Akidou. Akidou offered him a piece of meat, but it was already covered in sand.
"Want some?"
Vdolky looked at it, then shook his head sadly.
"No… it's already soaked in my sorrow."
Ganso brushed the sand off his body, then called out loudly:
"Alright, let's take a break! I'm tired!"
At that, everyone cheered in relief. Shinji turned to Lio.
"Let's go eat, Lio!"
The two of them stood up and followed the others into the dining hall, where Napoleta was grilling meat. Behind them, Alba and Omelet approached Akidou.
"You okay, Akidou?"
Akidou nodded.
"I'm fine… but look at him."
Vdolky stood facing the wall, his posture clearly dejected.
"He must be pretty disappointed."
Therion and Macaw also came over. Therion gently placed a hand on Vdolky's shoulder.
"He may not look like it, but he's actually pretty sensitive."
Inside the dining hall, the smell of grilled meat filled the air, making everyone eager. Shinji watched Napoleta cooking, his expression turning thoughtful.
"I really want to visit Uncle Vuri…"
Lio turned to him and gestured slowly with his hands. Shinji watched for a moment, then understood, giving a faint, sad smile.
"Actually… seeing Napoleta cook reminds me of him."
He looked at the pieces of meat being cut into smaller portions.
"I wonder… if he's doing okay."
A hand rested on his shoulder.
"I understand. I'm sure he's fine."
Shinji nodded.
"Thanks, Lio."
But then he sensed something was off. When he turned around, the one who had placed a hand on his shoulder was Ganso.
"Missing someone? When you get a day off, go visit them."
Shinji nodded again.
"I'm planning to visit him tomorrow… but why are you here, sir?"
Ganso took a deep breath.
"I want grilled meat."
With that, he turned and walked away. Lio set his large hat down on the table, then rotated his hands in front of his chest with a smile.
In the distance, the meat was ready.
"Alright, everyone, get ready to eat!"
At Napoleta's call, everyone quickly picked up their plates. Lio carefully tucked a napkin into his shirt, while Shinji wiped his plate clean. Napoleta came over and cut portions of meat for each of them.
"Enjoy your meal."
However, Shinji's portion was only a tiny piece. He looked disappointed and glanced at Lio, who cheerfully cut his portion into smaller bites and ate happily.
"At Uncle Vuri's place… the meat portions were much bigger…"
Not far away, Ganso was eating heartily.
"What? It's already gone?"
While Ganso was still feeling dissatisfied, Napoleta came and sat beside him.
"Sir Ganso, you're from the Sernik continent, right?"
Ganso nodded while chewing.
"Yeah. So?"
Napoleta placed his plate down and asked seriously:
"Is the Sernik continent still safe? Should Heavenfield relocate there to avoid the demons?"
Ganso stared at the plate of meat, then answered absentmindedly:
"Uh… maybe… blue cheese."
Napoleta looked confused.
"What do you mean, sir?"
Ganso popped another piece of meat into his mouth.
"When I left, it was still safe… but now, I'm not sure."
Napoleta nodded, picked up his knife, and was about to cut a piece of meat—only to realize the plate was empty. Ganso had already eaten everything.
Napoleta sighed, then said:
"Tomorrow, Grand Commander Umi Tsukigami will lead an expedition to the Sernik continent."
Ganso swallowed his food.
"Ah right, I'm going too. Might as well guide them."
He paused, thinking.
"I think there's also someone… Heliria race…"
"That's Grand Commander Umi Tsukigami," Napoleta corrected.
"Ah, right… and there's also a blond guy, wearing flashy clothes, carrying a bunch of keys…"
"That's Commander Raindor."
Ganso nodded.
"Yeah, that's him. I think I'll be leading the front."
He glanced outside.
"I think there'll be soldiers coming along too… though I forgot what mission they gave earlier."
Suddenly, a voice called out from the training yard:
"Commander Tachi!"
Ganso peeked outside and sighed.
"Ah… guess I have to go now."
He turned back, licked both plates clean, and looked at Napoleta.
"I'm heading off. See you."
Napoleta nodded.
"I'll be going to Sernik with you tomorrow."
Ganso widened his eyes in surprise.
"Really? How did I not know that?"
Earlier that morning, Ganso had been sitting on a chair, yawning, when Commander Umi Tsukigami stepped down.
"Tomorrow, we will head to the Sernik continent. If it is still safe, we will relocate there to avoid the demons. Do you understand the plan?"
Ganso jolted slightly.
"Uh… yeah… got it… understood."