I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

Lieutenant Wesley stepped forward, his voice firm and resolute: "I stake on the honor of an Imperial soldier and my life that Lieutenant Zod is absolutely capable of this important mission."

"Lieutenant Zod is too modest and cautious, and is used to considering every aspect of the mission."

"I'm always hesitant to make a final decision unless I'm 100% sure."

"This is Lieutenant Zod's weakness—indecisiveness—but it is also precisely his strength."

"He is cautious and steady, able to take into account all aspects of a task, and never blindly carries out a task."

"When I received the urgent mission to rescue two hostages, I assigned the task to Lieutenant Zod."

"At first, he underestimated himself and told me that he was not capable of taking on the important task. He considered all the problems before he even started the mission."

"But the results speak for themselves; Lieutenant Zod completed the mission perfectly."

"I believe that Colonel Xavier's decision to assign this task to Lieutenant Zod was not ill-considered, but rather a well-thought-out plan."

"Wouldn't the problems that Lieutenant Zod is worried about arise if this task were handed over to someone else?"

"The same thing will happen, it's just that Lieutenant Zod has recognized his own shortcomings and has spoken about them publicly."

"Don't you think that daring to face one's own shortcomings also requires immense courage, and isn't that a quality that an excellent Imperial officer should possess?"

Lieutenant Wesley stood ramrod straight, like a pillar, and spoke fluently and with great enthusiasm.

Wesley himself found it incredible that he was able to improvise and say those words on behalf of Zod.

After all, he's not as quick-witted as he used to be; his agile mind has long since become somewhat dulled from being soaked in alcohol.

The reason he was able to say so much at once is perhaps because it's what he's always wanted to say to his past self.

Finally, Lieutenant Wesley added earnestly, "Of course, this is just one veteran's perspective, and the final decision rests with you, Colonel Xavier."

Zod had never met Lieutenant Wesley, who possessed such charisma.

If he weren't in the position, he would surely have been captivated by Lieutenant Wesley's highly persuasive speech.

However, all Zod could think about right now was cursing. This was practically pushing him into a fire pit!

Colonel Xavier listened patiently to Lieutenant Wesley's long and eloquent speech, a rare occurrence for him.

He had initially hesitated about whether to replace Zod with someone else to carry out the mission.

Immediately after Wesley's words, Xavier made his final decision: "Lieutenant Zod!"

A loud voice broke the silence in the office.

As a soldier, Zod instinctively straightened his back and stood at attention: "Present!"

"No matter what you and your old boss say, I will not change my decision. You will be in charge of this difficult task."

Xavier stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray. "If you still have objections or difficulties, overcome them during the mission! Understand? Lieutenant Zod!"

Although Xavier's final decision was largely due to Wesley's words, which made him stick to his original decision, Xavier did not actually mention that Wesley's words made him change his mind.

This is also one of the qualities that a commander must possess: trust those you employ, and do not employ those you do not trust.

Xavier would never do something as foolish as revealing his lack of confidence in a subordinate's abilities in front of someone he was about to promote.

Zod gave a military salute on the spot: "Did you hear me?"

Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to obey Xavier's orders.

This is the military, not a marketplace where Zod can haggle.

At that moment, Zod glanced in Wesley's direction once again.

Lieutenant Wesley nodded with satisfaction, then secretly raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up again, as if to say, "No need to thank me, just keep up the good work. This is all I can do for you."

Damn it, he's given me two incredible assists in a row. Zod felt like a million alpacas were stampeding through his mind.

"Now that you've decided to accept the mission, let me explain the specific operational plan for this mission to you."

Xavier put his hands behind his back and moved his gaze from Zod to Lieutenant Wesley.

Wesley immediately understood Xavier's meaning: "Then, Colonel Xavier, since this is none of my business, I'll take my leave."

Xavier nodded slightly: "Yes, thank you for your hard work, Lieutenant Wesley."

"No, it's what I should do."

Then, Wesley turned to Zod and said his final farewell: "Lieutenant Zod, do your best in the Imperial Blade Corps! Colonel Xavier is definitely an excellent commander you should learn from."

"I understand, Lieutenant Wesley." Zod nodded slightly.

Wesley smiled kindly, turned and left the office.

After Wesley left, Xavier began to explain the specific details of the entire operation plan to Zod.

After Xavier finished speaking, he had Zod repeat it.

Only after confirming that Zod had completely memorized the details of the battle did he take out an egg-sized sphere from the drawer and toss it to Zod.

Zod caught the spherical object: "This is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zod felt the sphere in his hand tremble.

Immediately afterwards, the spherical object suddenly unfolded its bat-like wings, and a mouth appeared on its smooth surface, revealing two tiger teeth. A cat-like eye opened directly above the mouth.

Zod was startled and almost dropped the strange creature in his hand to the ground.

At this point, Xavier slowly explained, "This creature is called a Winged Wave Messenger, a creature specifically designed for communication. This Winged Wave Messenger's name is 'Kro.' The Imperial frontline troops rely entirely on Winged Wave Messengers for communication. From now on, you two should get along well."

Xavier then briefly explained to Zod how to use the Wingwave Messenger and the precautions.

After briefly explaining how to use the Wingwave Messenger, Zod put it away: "If you have no further instructions, I'll go and make the preparations."

Go!

Zod left Xavier's office and went straight to his sergeant, Cassius.

……

……

"What did you say? You want me to go with you to the 'Imperial Blade' Legion?"

Cassius's voice boomed like thunder in the room, so loud that it startled even himself, sounding particularly abrupt in the silent space.

He suddenly realized he had lost his composure and lowered his voice: "Lieutenant, for such an important matter, shouldn't you at least consult me ​​before making a decision?"

"Cassius, haven't you always wanted to fight for the glory of the Empire and make a name for yourself on the front lines?"

Zod hadn't expected Cassius to react so strongly; he had thought Cassius would be happy to hear that he could join the Imperial Blade Legion.

Even if you're unhappy, you don't need to react so strongly.

However, the reality was beyond his expectations.

"I hope to fight for the glory of the Empire and to make a name for myself. But I am aware of my own limitations and I know the gap between my strength and that of the 'Imperial Blade' Legion."

Cassius didn't want to talk about that painful past, but he gritted his teeth and said it anyway: "Before I came to Blackwood Town, I applied to join the 'Imperial Blade' Legion, but do you know how it went? I was eliminated in the first round of selection."

He didn't consider himself as good as Zod, and he didn't think he was strong enough to join the "Imperial Blade" legion.

He feared that joining the elite unit would present him with challenges he couldn't handle.

Damn it, Zod might be going to have a split personality today.

Just moments after Xavier and Wesley had been giving him a pep talk, they found themselves having to give Cassius a pep talk instead.

But who could understand that he was the one who least wanted to join any elite unit?