Chapter 71: WHO CARES ABOUT HIM?

VIVIAN

Her eyes lit up.

She smiled and waved at them, completely ignoring the intense gaze coming from Caelan.

"Serial!"

Serial quickly walked toward her.

At that moment, Caelan gave a signal to another soldier.

The soldier immediately approached Vega’s wheelchair.

Vivian glanced at him, then saluted.

She deliberately saluted the soldier instead of Caelan.

"His belongings are with the robot," she said calmly.

The Male soldier was confused. He was taken aback by her greeting. Why is she saluting to a small soldier like me instead of my Boss?

"...Y..Yes, soldier....um...Recruit." he looked at her name tag. "Vivian"

He took Vega’s wheelchair and pushed him away in a second, while Robot followed closely behind, carrying Vega’s belongings.

Vivian watched them leave before turning around.

Arin rushed toward her. "Are you okay?"

Vivian nodded. "I’m fine."

Serial released a long breath of relief. "Good....You’re fine." He arranged her hair.

He looked her over from head to toe.

"We’ve been searching everywhere for you until Instructor Vincent told us you were on a mission."

Vivian smiled. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were worried."

Serial asked, his eyes on her dress. "How did you change your uniform to a dress?"

She smiled. "I took a bath."

He asked again, touching her hair. "At Where?"

She ignored his question. And smiled at Arin.

Herbert suddenly pointed toward the wheelchair.

"Who is that cripple you were pushing?"

Vivian’s smile disappeared. She slowly turned toward him.

Her eyes became cold. "Say that again."

Herbert froze. Vivian stepped closer. "He is a Sentinel. I don’t want to hear you use the word cripple for him again."

Her voice was calm, but there was something frightening behind it.

Herbert swallowed. "You... you’re protecting him?"

He pointed at Serial.

"When Serial is standing right here?"

Vivian blinked. Then she looked at Serial.

Then back at Herbert. "And?"

Herbert looked confused. "You don’t care about Serial’s face?"

Vivian shrugged. "Why should I?"

Herbert’s mouth fell open.

Vivian continued casually, "And who said Serial will be my only Beast Husband?"

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Serial’s ears turned red. Herbert looked like his brain had stopped working.

Arin covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "My Princess is very popular," she said proudly. "She already has a first Beast husband."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "Enough."

She walked away.

The students gradually gathered in formation.

Vivian stopped among the young female soldiers.

Then she noticed someone standing at the front.

Caelan. He looked completely different from the man she remembered.

His blue military uniform was immaculate.

He wore the Military suit he gave her, it moved dramatically in the desert wind.

The powerful aura surrounding his body made even the surrounding soldiers appear insignificant.

Vivian stared at him for a moment. Their eyes met.

Her heart skipped. She immediately looked away.

Why am I even looking at him?

She shook her head.

Who cares about him?

A soldier stepped forward. "Haxia Soldiers! At ease!"

Everyone relaxed. "Attention!"

Everyone immediately stood straight.

"Salute!"

Hundreds of hands rose simultaneously. The soldier lowered his hand.

His expression was cold. "You chose this mission yourselves. You chose this job yourself."

His voice echoed across the desert. "So prepare yourselves to lose your lives."

The students stiffened. "There are no beautiful stories waiting for you here. No one cares about your family name, your status, your wealth, or how talented you were at the academy."

He pointed toward the ruined landscape surrounding them.

"This is the warfront. This is Ignora, a Lawless Planet!!"

His voice became harsher.

"Since arriving here, fifty students have already lost their lives."

Several students paled. "You may be next."

The crowd was very silent.

"If you came here expecting glory, go home now."

"If you came here expecting someone to protect you, go home now."

"If you think your rank makes you untouchable, forget it."

He stared at them.

"On this planet, your rank may determine how strong you are."

"But the Zerg don’t care."

"They will tear an SS-Class apart just as easily as an F-Class if that soldier makes one mistake."

A shiver went through the crowd. "Remember this."

"This is not your academy."

"This is not training."

"This is war."

He stepped aside. "And now, Commander Caelan Drayke will address you."

Caelan stepped forward. The moment he appeared before them, the atmosphere changed.

His eyes swept across the exhausted students.

Some were covered in dirt. Some had blood on their uniforms.

Some were injured. Others looked completely drained.

They had lost the confidence they possessed when they first boarded the ship.

Only Vivian wore a beautiful dress like she was going to a beauty show.

Caelan stopped in front of them.

Then...

"Attention!"

His voice exploded across the field.

The spiritual pressure behind it made several students stagger.

Everyone immediately straightened.

Caelan’s cold gaze swept across them. "Look at yourselves."

No one moved. "You came here as princes, princesses, heirs, Saintesses, Guides, and talented young soldiers."

He paused. "Forget all of that."

His voice became colder. "Here, there is no prince."

"There is no princess."

"There is no king."

"There is no queen."

"There is no saint."

"There is no Saintess."

He raised his chin. "You are soldiers."

His eyes hardened. "Soldiers who are going to the warfront."

He turned slightly toward the endless desert. "Do you know why Haxia is still standing?"

No one answered. "Because soldiers sweat."

His voice echoed. "Soldiers bleed."

"Soldiers lose friends."

"Soldiers watch people they love die and still stand up the next morning."

The students became completely silent.

"You think Haxia is safe because you live behind walls?"

Caelan’s eyes sharpened. "Wrong."

"Haxia is never safe."

He raised his hand. "We are the ones who make it safe."

Everyone’s hearts trembled. Caelan held the salute for a moment.

Then he lowered his hand.

Without another word, he turned around and walked away.

Vivian watched him leave. She released a long breath.

He’s scary. But every word he said was the truth. Caelan is really a powerful soldier. He has done a lot for Haxia at his young age. That is why he is the Book male lead. He has so much Aura.!! But why do I have to meet him here? Why CAN’T we be in different places.? It’s alright.. I will just ignore him and stay far away from him.

Then a small smile appeared on her face.

But I’m actually excited and still scared of what will happen if I lose my life here.

After a second, Her eyes sparkled again.

Something tells me this mission is going to be thrilling. Maybe something exciting is waiting for me.

A female soldier approached the recruits. "Follow me. I’ll take you to your lodgings."

The students climbed onto several flying buses.

The first was a large white bus.

"This bus is for S-Class and higher-ranked recruits," the soldier announced.

The lower-ranked recruits were directed toward a yellow flying bus.

Arin immediately followed Vivian. She didn’t even hesitate.

Vivian looked at her. "You’re going on the yellow bus with me?"

Arin nodded. "My Princess goes there. So do I."

Herbert climbed onto the yellow bus designated for male soldiers.

Serial gave Vivian a smile before entering his own transport.

The flying buses soon disappeared into the desert.

One Hour Later

The buses finally descended.

Vivian looked outside. Her smile disappeared.

"...What is this?"

The building in front of them looked like it had survived several wars.

Cracked walls. Broken windows. Rusty metal. A section of the roof was missing. But it was liveable.

Several female students stared at it in horror.

One covered her mouth. "I’m not staying there."

Another girl gagged. "It smells!"

The female instructor stood calmly before them. "This is Ignora Planet."

She pointed toward the buildings. "There aren’t many proper houses here."

"The good accommodations are reserved for higher-ranked soldiers."

She shrugged. "We are not responsible for your inconvenience."

Then she smiled. "Welcome to Ignora Planet."

The girls immediately began complaining. But after several minutes of arguing, they had no choice.

They entered the old building.

Vivian stared at the inside.

Absolutely not.

The instructor had already explained that four female soldiers would share one room.

Vivian shook her head.

No. Absolutely not!!

What if someone discovered her abnormal abilities?

What if they discovered the Lotus?

What if someone reported her?

She immediately approached the instructor. "Excuse me."

The instructor turned. "Yes?"

"Can I have a different room?"

The instructor looked at her. "Why?"

Vivian pointed toward Arin. "My Guide lives with me."

The instructor’s eyebrows rose. "There is a separate building for Guides. Why didn’t she take the white bus?"

Vivian answered without hesitation. "She has a Life-and-Death Contract with me."

The instructor froze. Arin also blinked.

Vivian smiled innocently. "So she can’t leave me."

The instructor swallowed. "A... Life-and-Death Contract?"

Vivian nodded. "Yes."

The instructor looked at Arin. Then at Vivian. Then back at Arin.

Finally, she sighed. "Fine."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key.

"There is another building."

She tossed the key toward Vivian.

"Only one room in it belongs to the military. The previous owner died during a mission."

Vivian caught it.

"You can stay there."

She pointed toward another soldier. "Take them there."

"Yes, Instructor."

The soldier immediately stepped forward. Vivian and Arin followed him.

The instructor watched them disappear.

Then she quietly muttered, "This Vivian..."

She shuddered. "What kind of terrifying female makes an S-Class Guide sign a Life-and-Death Contract with her?"

She looked toward the other students. "Haxia’s Royals are truly cruel."