Ch.125125. Operation Gehenna

In a room adorned with antique wooden furniture, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard sat with his eyes closed, lost in thought. The latest music trending among the upper nobility played softly in the quiet room, but it fell on deaf ears.

His fingers rhythmically tapped the desk before he slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the note placed before him.

– Slaves Central Headquarters discovered. Princess Seraphina to commence encirclement and annihilation operation in three days

This single line, delivered alongside his recent orders, troubled his mind deeply.

Despite their best efforts to keep hidden, it seemed their trail had grown too long to conceal.

As a man who had painstakingly nurtured the Slaves organization, he couldn’t help but feel regret.

If only they’d had a little more time, even Princess Seraphina wouldn’t have dared to touch the Slaves so carelessly.

The Slaves had been generating enormous profits through human trafficking, and there was no shortage of mercenaries lured by that money. From former knights to renowned mercenaries, they all parasitically attached themselves to the organization to taste the sweet honey the Slaves offered.

Of course, since these relationships were built on money, most would turn their backs at the first sign of trouble. The man who built the Slaves knew this fact all too well.

But he was confident they wouldn’t easily abandon the Slaves.

They were already addicted to the honey the organization provided.

The gold coins the Slaves had placed in their hands were more than they would see in a lifetime.

Could those who squandered such wealth on a single night’s drinking ever return to their previous lives?

The man was certain they could not.

Addicts couldn’t quit because they were already dependent on the drug.

And these people were addicted to the gold coins offered by the Slaves. It was impossible for them to return to ordinary lives.

Their spending habits had grown extravagant, their expectations inflated.

They could no longer be satisfied with a normal life. After all, wealth earned through honest effort was typically mediocre at best.

That’s why the man had no doubt they would carry out these latest orders admirably.

Although it meant throwing away everything they had built, dealing a significant blow to Princess Seraphina wouldn’t be such a bad outcome.

It seemed like a good opportunity to shake the princess’s increasingly secure position within the Empire.

“The Slaves will proceed according to the orders.”

“Understood.”

Another voice echoed in the room that had seemed to hold only the man.

But already aware of this presence, the man remained unperturbed and rose from his seat. Dwelling on decisions already made was not his style.

Though he regretted losing the Slaves, it wasn’t a fatal loss.

– Knock knock

“What is it?”

“Count, it’s time for your meal.”

“Is it that time already? I’ll be right there.”

Before leaving the room, the Count burned the orders and the note.

Only after confirming that not even the smallest fragment remained did he exit.

Even after his departure, the music continued to fill the empty room.

***

Exactly three days after Gilbert assembled his special unit members.

A disguised field training exercise began at Demeia Academy to conceal the encirclement and annihilation operation.

The field training, approved by Headmaster Lucas, was conducted with seven-person teams. Each team simply had to visit the law enforcement officers in their assigned city and experience their daily routine for one day.

Publicly, this field training was presented as an effort to protect citizens and improve Demeia Academy’s image. The external assessment recognized it as an attempt to restore the academy’s prestige after the New Resistance attack.

Gilbert and his special unit members were “coincidentally” assigned to Byzantium, the heart of the Empire.

As the imperial center had exceptionally high security, they received envious looks from other teams assigned to less secure areas.

But the special unit members, knowing their mission was far from peaceful law enforcement, remained vigilant. Even Hans, usually so flippant, kept his mouth firmly shut in silence, aware they were being deployed on something more dangerous than anything they’d faced before.

After arriving instantly in Byzantium via the warp gate, Gilbert’s team visited the law enforcement headquarters where they would wait until the operation began, guided by a pre-recruited officer.

Gilbert had initially planned to stay within the headquarters as much as possible, but suddenly changed his mind.

The thought occurred to him that there might be watchers monitoring them.

With this possibility in mind, Gilbert divided the special unit into two teams and had them act as if they were genuinely participating in the field training. The unit members quickly caught on to Gilbert’s intention and showed even more enthusiasm for their law enforcement duties.

After maintaining city security until evening, they returned to the headquarters before sunset, had a simple meal, and gathered together.

“The operation begins two hours from now, after nightfall.”

Gilbert, the commander of the special unit, began the mission briefing. Even Camilla was watching him with uncharacteristically serious eyes.

Their mission in this operation was to serve as a reserve and special force supporting the main unit.

Since they would likely be deployed to unfavorable battle lines, the risk level was considerably high.

Though they were still academy cadets and wouldn’t be on the front lines, that didn’t serve as a shield to lower the danger of this operation.

After all, enemy bullets don’t discriminate.

“As you all know, our special unit’s main task is to support the main force. This operation aims to encircle and annihilate the Slaves, so we’ll be striking their eight bases simultaneously. In particular, we’re positioned where their central headquarters is located, a key conflict zone where fierce resistance is expected.”

That was why Gilbert, with his 5th-rank knight title, was deployed to Byzantium. Seraphina judged that he could execute the mission flawlessly, being combat-ready even now.

“Brynhild, you’ll be the deputy commander of this special unit. If I become unable to command, you’re next in the chain of command.”

“Don’t worry. I’m battle-hardened.”

Brynhild smiled confidently. As a great warrior of the Sigurd clan, she was a veteran of countless battlefields.

When Gilbert formed the special unit, Brynhild was his first pick.

“Angelina will serve as the next adjutant. You’ll be responsible for analyzing irregular situations.”

“Understood.”

Angelina nodded slightly, as if this was only natural.

Gilbert finished his general explanation and checked the time. Less than 30 minutes remained until the operation’s commencement signal.

They would need to move to the operation site in about 5 minutes.

Before moving out, Gilbert looked over each special unit member one more time. He didn’t particularly like these moments before an operation began. Carrying out a mission meant putting one’s life on the line.

While some comrades returned safely, many did not.

In his original world, he had to bury countless comrades in the ground and in his heart. The battlefield was a continuous series of such horrors, and they were always deployed for operations to fight for victory and their homeland.

That’s why Gilbert hated this quiet time just before an operation began.

It felt like praying before death.

“Listen, unit members.”

Gilbert recalled what his commander once said before deployment.

“Today, we are being deployed to eliminate those who threaten the Empire. This is our duty as imperial citizens before we are academy cadets.”

The destiny of those who don military uniforms to protect their homeland.

It was no different here.

Even though he wore an academy cadet uniform, he was still a soldier.

And those before him were soldiers too.

“We simply do what we must do, so don’t worry about anything else. Don’t think about mercy, don’t let your guard down, don’t think about anything—focus entirely on what needs to be done.”

The moment you show mercy, your comrade dies.

The moment you let your guard down, you die.

On the battlefield, the only thing to maintain is focus on fulfilling your assigned duty.

“That is our survival strategy and the only way to return safely.”

Gilbert—no, in this moment, Kang Do-jun—wished for his unit members’ safe return.

The same wish his mentor and commander had always had for his troops.

“That’s all I have to say.”

His face becoming Gilbert’s again, he led his unit members, now deep in thought, to the operation site.

They joined Seraphina’s main force, which was already on standby, and arrived at the waiting area until deployment.

About 10 minutes passed.

Finally, the encirclement and annihilation operation began.

Operation Gehenna commenced.