Chapter 650: Side Story 2. Dance of Flame and Shadow - 9
The hierarchy in the Borderland Unit was easy; the strongest rule.
It was a rough place with equally rough personnel, so the Captain of each unit needed to be between the highest-ranking espers. Naturally, the four-star bunch from the military took upon the higher-up seat right away. After all, no five-star espers were working in such a dreary place, and even the four-star ones in a single Unit could be counted on one hand.
So, Captain Nolan Hertz remained as the Captain.
Perhaps because of that, Agni didn’t feel much difference between the outside world and the Borderland. Well, aside from the stuffy air and the barely edible food. The work environment? It wasn’t much different. If anything, Agni felt the place was slightly better than the military base.
Maybe because he was actually on the side of authority? It was only a pseudo-authority that could be used in the Borderland only, but it wasn’t so bad staying in one place instead of going around from mission to mission.
The missions themselves were hard when they had to enter the Deathzone, and like anyone else, he needed time to get used to the damnable place. But such missions did not come often, and their only mission was to watch the borderland and prevent any creatures from crossing the marsh.
Honestly, at first, everything felt fine. Despite the unfair situation they were in, Agni and his two unruly squadmates weren’t so influenced by the conditions. Surprisingly enough, Nolan also looked fine.
For him, a duty was a duty. He did not think that watching the Borderland had any less value than clearing dungeons on the high zones. Both still meant to keep people from harm, and that was well within Nolan Hertz’s principle.
The only thing that saddened him was the fact that he couldn’t see his family anymore. It didn’t show much at first, but it weighed on him more every day.
That being said, Nolan Hertz was Nolan Hertz. He did not show such burdens on the outside, because he knew some people here also missed their families just like him. He still led the Unit how he used to lead his unruly squad; with surprising kindness.
He wasn’t weak or a pushover by any means. He was firm, he was disciplined, and he was stubborn at times. But he also cared about the personnel’s well-being and always made sure things were fair. He knew all of their names and stories, trying to help those who had problems, and stopping fights with minimal casualty.