“Hmm, your selection of participants seem interesting,” Johan said as he looked at the various candidates.

“Will it be all right? You seem to have mixed militia and even normal civilians into the selection,” Tarin asked.

“Well, beyond the fact that each of them is fit as a horse and strong as a bear, I cannot see much similarities between them.”

“Some of them will slim down in half a year’s time,” Edward replied.

“You do not need such big muscles to accomplish something what smaller and more compact muscles will do.”

“A bigger frame can be a disadvantage on the field.”

“In quick strike operations, a compact frame is far better.”

“What about the stuff here though?” Tarin pointed to his forehead. “That is the main difference between Elite and normal troops.”

“For all the men here, if they were to go by their normal means. How long do you think it will take them to get 2 grade 4 monster cores and custom spheres and gems?” asked Edward.

“In their lifetime, on their own? Probably years if they wish to support a family and such at the same time.”

“I stressed the difficulties of this one year training and how arduous it will be.”

“Despite knowing the difficulty, these men have chosen to be here. Now it is my job to turn them into special forces elites.”

“Of course , I included the usual healthy dosage of defending your country and making a difference in the defense forces but for some strange reason, the various participants seem far more interested in the monster cores.”

Tarin and Johan’s lips were curling as Edward continued on.

“I must say , they seem equally glad when I was going through the training menu on what they could possibly eat. I swear, they were asking me more questions about the potential lamb and beef steaks they may eat during the weekends than how tough the training could be.”

“Such fighting spirit in the face of difficulties, such discerning vision on priorities these men have. I expect training to be successful with these 100 candidates.”

Tarin was looking at the sky and seemed to be praying for something while Johan refused to look Edward in the eye.

“Does every military outfit from your realm share such a unique take on military leadership and training? Your realm appears far more incomprehensible to me now,” Johan asked.

“No no, the training program is derived from the training system of my realm but it has my, shall I say, unique take on it. I was never granted such freedom back in my realm.”

“Yes, I wonder why.”

Appearing not to hear anything, Edward continued “Now I am here, how can I let such a unique opportunity go by?”

“I looked through some personnel you recruited from the Everdawn forces. Some of them are famed troublemakers and black sheep of their units. Will it be all right? Gathering such a high density of malcontents into a single company,” Tarin looked worried as he asked.

“Some of the most brilliant field commanders I met started out as troublemakers. Once they are able to channel their full potential in leading, the results can be astonishing.”

“If the training is successful, you will transform these Steel tier combatants into Damascus tier combatants,” Johan said.

“Potentially yes but until they have been blooded in the field, I would not put any faith into such strength classifications,” Edward replied.

“I see you recruited the hardest and meanest sons of a bitch as drill instructors.”

“They were rotting in the Aureus army as they have no one to train. They seem to be intrigued in the training menu I provided though. The gleams in their eyes makes me feel uneasy.”

“There is something I do not understand though. During the rest days, you or an officer will train the company in general knowledge, tactics and strategy? Even logistics and basic medical knowledge?” Johan asked. “Are you training them as potential officers too?”

“Nothing as extensive as that. The nature of their operations will require a great deal of decision making on the ground level. It is impossible to be bucking every issue up the command chain when operating. Hence the men will need to be able to make a command decision on their own and carry it through.”

“The most successful of commanders are aided by the most talented of aides. I believe this is one rule of warfare that has not changed throughout the ages.”

Tarin and Johan were nodding in agreement.

“How are you going to incorporate sphere training?” Tarin asked.

“Beyond the augmentation effects, spheres will not be used in this training.”

“Separate sphere training for aether gem ability usage will be conducted at the end of the half year training. Reaching the peak level in physical performance, team tactics and adherence to orders take precedence.”

“I have several gadgets I wish to introduce to this iteration of special forces…”

“Looking forward to it my man. By the way , how goes the recruitment of the Golem mage?” asked Tarin as he turned to leave with Johan.

“I am headed to the mercenary guild branch after the induction of these trainees.”

“The mage you are after is a mercenary?”Johan appeared surprised at the information.

“I saw the B rank mercenary emblem on him. I have his name too, should not be too hard to track down at the guild.”

—

“Caine, you were outstanding today. That patrol assist at the village was something else. You took down 7 class 4 beasts on your own.” A red-haired lady said as she neared Caine.

“It was 10 versus 7 beasts, if you count my golems. Hardly a fair fight. Tif” replied Caine.

“I doubt the family hiding in the house cared much about the odds.” replied ‘Tif’. “They were in tears at your rescue.”

“The patrolling force was overwhelmed on the western end of the town, there was no one at the eastern end except me. I couldn’t just leave that family there.” Caine expanded as he looked over the town. “Thanks for the assist though. Your fireballs kept quite a number of beast reinforcements away while I was engaged with that pack of beasts.”

“We received a silver chit for our patrol assist from the patrol commander. On top of our job completion , it appears we are getting quite a good amount of mercenary points this run.”

“Indeed , today seem like a good day. Let's head to The Dancing Boar when we return to Everdawn, Tif. My treat.”

“Alright , it's on. Double portions for me.”

—

“How may I help you?” A grizzled man sitting behind the counter at the Mercenary Guild asked Edward as he entered the branch.

“I am looking for a mercenary mage by the name of Caine. He specializes in golems from what I understand.”

“He took a job to the outskirts of Everdawn 2 days ago. He will be back latest by tomorrow. Do you wish to leave a message for him?” The grizzled man grunted in reply.

“Yes, I am from the castle and wish to hire his services.”

The grizzled man took out a writing pad and a pencil. “Here, knock yourself out. We will ensure he gets the message.”

Just as Edward was about to write, the grizzled man spoke.

“Caine! Good timing, there is someone from the castle here looking to hire you.”

“Gand, enough with your jokes. I know no one from the castle here and there are far stronger mercenaries than me the castle could hire. Why would I be sought out specifically?” Caine said as he entered with ‘Tif’.

“Ask him,” Gand pointed at Edward.

“You are?” asked Caine as he looked towards Edward.

“I am Edward Williams, retainer to Prince Aureus Astrea. I am here to consult you regarding Golems.” Edward said as he took out his Everdawn insignia

“I am honored but why me?”

“To be honest, I overheard you talking about Golems at The Dancing Boar and I asked around. Apparently Golem mages are rare in the outer realm.”

Caine was looking a little disbelieving before saying “Well that works too, I will not say no to a job. How does it pay?”

“Standard mage consulting rates. Depending on the hours you spend in answer to my queries, the wage will be paid accordingly.”

“All right, would The Dancing Boar do? I happen to be heading there with my partner after submission of our previous job.”

“Sure. I am looking forward to a round of boar meat too.”

—

On the way from the guild to the inn, Caine introduced himself and his partner.

“I am Caine Smith. A golem artificer from the MagiTech Institute. My partner is Tiffany Anglovich, she is a fire mage from the Magi Order.”

“Hello!” Tiffany said while bobbing her head up and down.

They continued chatting until they reached the inn.

“As they took their seats and signaled for three portions of the day’s menu,” Edward asked.

“Could you introduce me to the Golem magic branch, in particular their application on the battlefield?”