While it seemed a bit unfair that only the recruits that joined in their year would have to work in order to prevent future troubles, none of them complained. Zaos's squad and the others didn't grow only in strength last year. They also matured quite a bit. While they endured the hellish training, they came to understand why they lost so many friends and comrades in that fight. It was because they were weak. While that was only natural since they had no combat experience, just accepting it without doing anything wouldn't change anything. That was why they worked hard… Besides, even though they were just a single year older, they had to work harder in order to prevent others from suffering the same pain they felt a year ago.

As they walked toward the armory, commander Ruvyn explained to Zaos's squad what they were going to do. It was a town called Salide, and it was pretty far away from the Northern base. Zaos and his team never got anywhere close to that since it was one hundred kilometers away on the eastern side of that region.

"Salide has a little more than eight hundred citizens. Thanks to it, they also have twenty or so guards keeping the place in order," Commander Ruvyn said. "While it doesn't seem much, it had been more than enough, at least until recently. Some followers of the demon god have been attacking the merchants who come and leave the town, and they also practiced robbery at night and killed a few people while they were at it."

"So, they really are trying to obtain funds to hire an army of mercenaries," Zaos said. "A decent one."

"Yes, while they are doing so, they make sure to weaken our forces as much as they can without losing a single one of them," Commander Ruvyn said. "The captain of the guard in that place thinks it is about time to make the followers of the demon god suffer some losses while they attack their people, some serious losses. That is why your squad is going to help them."

That wouldn't be a regular guarding mission, so it might take much longer than any other they had completed so far. Regardless, Zaos didn't feel anything but joy after hearing that. It was thanks to those assholes that he didn't have the chance to go home even a single time in the last year. It was about damn time to make them suffer for it, unlike before, Zaos wouldn't hesitate or feel anything by killing them. While he didn't know of their circumstances, there wasn't a single thing that could justify their actions. There was no point in mopping about the death of those who have power and take the lives of those who can't protect themselves.

"This mission might take a while, so grab everything in the armory that you think it will be necessary," Commander Ruvyn said, and then he left. "Come to my office to get a map once you are done."

Since the village was pretty distant, it was obvious that they would use some horses. While Zaos learned how to ride one, he still didn't get used to the feeling of relying on another creature to be his legs. Fortunately, horses come with some perks. For one, they could carry the weight of Zaos's baggage and equipment. That was why he didn't hesitate in grabbing a long spear, a shield, and other pieces of armor that were on his size and offered some decent protection. After that, Zaos went to his room and organized his clothes. Aside from that and a few tools, he didn't have much else to bring with him. The same could be said about his squad, so they quickly moved toward the commander's office.

"Once you reach Salide, look for a man called Verkan," Commander Ruvyn said as he passed the map to Zaos. "He is the captain of the guards there. That goes without saying, but your squad will have to follow his orders while you are there. It might be strange in the beginning, but I am sure you will get used to it. The same can be said about him."

Zaos didn't understand the last sentence, but he assumed it was a matter of getting used to working with the people he didn't know. Most likely, he will complain a lot once he realizes that the commander sent a group of ten-year-old kids.

After talking with the commander, Zaos's squad went to the stables and picked some horses. Since they belonged to the base, not a single soldier or recruit used the same horse twice. That was a trick to make them improve their horsemanship.

Without wasting any more time, they left the base in order to use as much of the sunlight as possible. While the horses were pretty good, it was a bit too much to hope that they would cover all the distance in a single day with that cold weather and the thick snow around.

Although they rode in silence, Zaos understood while looking at his squad members that they were really looking forward to putting to good use the things they learned in the last year. While that was understandable, Zaos wanted them to calm down a little more. Anger isn't something you should use too often… Still, saying that kind of thing would decrease the morale of the squad. However, they were excited instead of afraid of facing the followers of the demon god, and that was a given if anything.

"I wonder if the commander had something in mind in selecting my squad for this job," Zaos pondered while he was riding about the mission. It was his only chance to do so, after all. "While I don't talk with many recruits or soldiers, I am pretty sure this kind of mission is rare. 

The previous experience in that battle at Krisaldia probably had been a major factor for selecting his squad. That being said, there were three hundred other recruits that had the same experience… in the end, Zaos didn't come up with an explanation.