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

Zod had never heard of himself being called the "Eagle of the Empire".

To be honest, he wasn't interested in those kinds of titles at all.

What made him even more disheartened was that he almost immediately realized that such a reputation would inevitably be accompanied by the spread of fame and the increase in popularity.

These are precisely the two things he least wants to see.

Seeing his blank expression, Hitis explained, "I heard it first spread among the nurses at the hospital. When they were changing your dressings, they noticed the scar on your back from the shell... it looks a lot like an eagle with outstretched wings."

"Then, those who knew of your bravery and fearlessness in Clock Tower gave you the nickname 'Eagle of the Empire,' which perfectly suited your towering image of loyalty and honor."

Upon hearing this, Zod's pupils contracted slightly. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Hitis's shoulders with both hands: "Who came up with this nickname? Does anyone else know it?"

Damn it, who forced this label of being a sitting duck onto themselves?

Is it too late for him to go and silence them one by one?

Hitis, stroking her chin, said innocently, "Most of the 'Imperial Blade' legion, and the Holy Kingdom probably know about it too! After all, the Holy Kingdom probably knows most of the information we have here, and they always pay close attention to the movements of our legion."

"Cough cough cough~" Zod almost fainted from anger.

That's definitely not going to work; they can't be killed off one by one.

People fear becoming famous, just as pigs fear growing fat!

Which bastard spread rumors about me? Who just randomly gave me nicknames?

This damn title, I could never wash it off even if I jumped into the Ganges!

My plan to quietly retire from the public eye!

"What's wrong with you? Lieutenant, you don't look too good!" Hitis saw Zod's face turn pale in an instant.

"It's nothing!" Zod took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the irritation in his heart, and let go of his hand, turning to the side.

Hitis gently bit her thumb, her eyes darting around. "Um... Lieutenant Zod, could you take off your clothes and let me see the scar on your back? I want to confirm if it's really shaped like an eagle, as they say."

She must first declare that she absolutely does not lust after Zod's body!

"No way!" Zod refused decisively and dismissed Hitis from the room. "Go find someone quickly. It's so late. I need to finish what we're doing now so I can get some sleep!"

Zod yawned.

"Tch~ Yes!" Hitis pouted unhappily and reluctantly turned to carry out the order.

She would definitely take the opportunity to observe the "Empire Eagle" behind Zod with her own eyes.

Of course, Hitis couldn't possibly want to see Zod's body; she only reluctantly looked at it to better shape the character in her novel.

……

……

the other side.

Following Zod's orders, Cassius has led a team to the scene of the most recent crime.

This band of bandits was unlike any he had encountered before; they dared to attack a fully armed Imperial transport convoy.

Although the bodies of the Imperial soldiers at the scene had been collected, large patches of dark red blood that had long since congealed were still visible on the ground.

A warhorse had its leg blown off, shrapnel piercing its neck, and it lay in a pool of congealed blood.

There were still many shells and bullet holes on the ground, and bullet marks remained on the nearby trees.

One can imagine that the battle was extremely fierce at the time.

The fact that they were able to launch a brazen attack on a fully armed Imperial transport force suggests that, given the situation on the ground, the enemy's firepower was not much weaker than that of a regular army.

This time, Cassius has undoubtedly met his match.

An experienced veteran crouched down and touched the spent cartridge cases on the ground, his expression grave:

"Sergeant Cassius, an attack of this magnitude is probably beyond our capabilities to handle. Perhaps we should request reinforcements from Lieutenant Zod!"

"With Lieutenant Zod leading the team, our chances of winning will be much higher!"

Indeed, to be on the safe side, it would be safer to have a lieutenant-level officer lead the team, as the veteran suggested.

At that critical moment, Zod's words suddenly rang in his ears: "You will become an Imperial officer of the rank of colonel sooner or later, if you are not willing to accept any challenges and risks."

Yes! They're unwilling to take any risks and just want to hide behind Lieutenant Zod when danger strikes.

How can he stand on his own then?

How does one become an officer of the Imperial Army's rank of colonel?

How can I become Zod's right-hand man?

How can he face Zod, who trusts him?

Although the old soldier's words made a lot of sense, Cassius still replied coldly:

"The mission hasn't even begun, we haven't done anything yet, and to push it onto the lieutenant would make us seem too weak. Whether or not to request the lieutenant's support is a matter for me to decide!"

Cassius's strong and forceful answer left the old soldier speechless for a moment.

He unfolded the map and pointed to a spot: "According to the map, there's a village near the crime scene. Let's go check if there are any witnesses among the villagers."

Led by Cassius, the troops arrived at a remote village nearby.

Looking around, the scene was one of desolation, with houses leaning precariously, villagers dressed in rags, and most homes practically bare.

It is the same in any era.

War has never changed one thing: it always creates poverty.

Cassius instructed a group of Imperial soldiers to inquire about information from the villagers, offering a reward of 5 crowns for any clues related to the bandits.

Seeing the poverty of the village, Cassius was moved with compassion.

Even if the reward were 10 times lower, I estimate that some villagers would still be willing to provide relevant information.

Sure enough, a great reward will surely attract brave men. With Cassius's high bounty, villagers soon took the initiative to provide Cassius with information about the bandits.

A gaunt shepherd, led by a soldier, approached Cassius: "Sir, I know! I know where those bandits went!"

Upon hearing that there were witnesses, Cassius was overjoyed: "Did you witness what happened?"

The shepherd shook his head: "No, but when I was herding sheep for a nearby nobleman, I was trying to slack off when I accidentally saw the bandits who had just succeeded in their robbery carrying their loot to a certain place."

Cassius was overjoyed, not expecting a lead so quickly: "Where did they go?"

"Wind Howling Valley is a valley on the northwest side of the village." The shepherd scratched his head and pointed out a direction to Cassius.

To verify the intelligence's authenticity, Cassius cautiously asked another question: "Where did you see them? Didn't they spot you?"

The shepherd recounted: "I was separated from the officers who were attacked by two mountains. I went towards the direction of the gunfire out of curiosity because I heard unusual gunfire."

"My family is almost out of food, so I'm hoping to go to the crime scene to see if I can scavenge some leftovers to get through the winter."

"Unexpectedly, I saw a group of bandits carrying supplies and running hurriedly towards Wind Howling Valley."

The shepherd's words were very organized and logically consistent, and did not seem to be made up at all.

Without delay, Cassius immediately ordered his soldiers, "All soldiers, assemble immediately!"

He found the location of Wind Howling Valley on the map, and his destination was naturally in the direction of Wind Howling Valley.