Chapter 862: A Commander Who Would Die For You

Ragnora found herself completely unable to help.

Then her gaze fell upon two beastkin nearby—lion-kin by the look of them, with magnificent manes framing their faces.

They looked strong and mighty, the kind of warriors who commanded respect on any battlefield.

She began walking toward them.

The moment they saw her approach, the mighty-looking beastkin immediately cowered.

Their proud postures crumbled. Their faces went pale. By the time Ragnora reached them—towering over them with her massive frame—they looked like frightened kittens rather than fearsome warriors.

Ragnora opened her mouth to speak.

"I’M SORRY, COMMANDER! I’M SORRY!"

Ragnora blinked, clearly caught off guard.

"...What?"

"I knew you would find out!" The first lion-kin wailed. "There’s nothing that can get past you! It’s true—yesterday, while we were playing cards, I cheated! I used some tricks to win the bets! I’m so sorry! I won’t do it again!"

Shouts immediately erupted from the surrounding soldiers.

"I KNEW IT!"

"You bastard!"

"There’s no way you could have won that easily!"

"So you WERE cheating after all!"

The second lion-kin also bowed his head, his voice trembling.

"I’m sorry too, Commander! My wife goes out of her way to make me delicious packed lunches every single day! But I completely forget about them! I go drinking with my mates instead and let her food spoil! I promise I won’t do it again!"

"Please, just forgive me!"

Both of them were cowering before her, their secrets spilling out like water from a broken dam.

They hadn’t been able to withstand even a moment of her presence without confessing everything.

Ragnora stared at them for a long moment.

"That’s...not why I came over here."

Both lion-kin snapped their heads up. "...What?"

"I came to tell you that during the battle with the worm, your spear stance was completely wrong."

She held out her hand toward the first lion-kin.

"May I see your spear?"

He handed it over with trembling hands.

Ragnora positioned herself, demonstrating the stance he had been using.

"You were holding it like this the entire time, Raiden. Your grip is too high, your feet are too close together, and you’re relying entirely on your upper body for power."

She shook her head. "That’s not how you do it."

She shifted, adjusting her grip and stance with fluid precision. Then she demonstrated a thrust—and even though it was just a demonstration, the air itself seemed to split around the spear’s tip.

She then moved through a quick sequence—thrust, withdraw, redirect, thrust again—her movements so fluid that the watching soldiers began taking notes on whatever scraps of paper they could find.

"Do you understand?" Ragnora asked.

The warrior nodded frantically. "Yes, Commander! I’ve committed it to memory! I’ll never forget!"

Ragnora turned to the second beastkin.

"Your sword work has a similar issue, Cleo. You’re swinging with your arms only. Your hips are disconnected from the motion."

She demonstrated, her own sword appearing in her hand with fluid grace.

Every swing sent gusts of wind rippling across the battlefield, making the soldiers’ hair fly back.

But no one moved. No one blinked. They were all watching, memorizing, absorbing every detail of their commander’s instruction.

"Did you understand?" Ragnora asked, returning her sword to her back.

"Yes, Commander! Thank you, Commander!"

But she wasn’t done. She moved through the gathered soldiers one by one, calling out names and correcting techniques with the same calm precision.

"Brann, your axe is too heavy for the way you’re swinging it. You’re relying entirely on your shoulders. Use your hips and let the weapon’s weight carry the strike."

"Yes, Commander!"

"Maya, your spear. You’re gripping too tightly, which makes your thrusts predictable. Loosen your hands. Let the weapon move naturally."

"Understood, Commander!"

"Kael, your bow. You’re drawing too quickly. Your first shot is accurate, but your second and third lose precision because you rush. Take another breath between shots."

"Yes, Commander!"

One by one, she corrected them all.

Despite wielding a heavy broadsword as her primary weapon, Ragnora was a master of every weapon—spears, axes, bows, hammers, daggers.

She could spot the smallest flaws in anyone’s technique and correct them with surgical precision.

The soldiers listened with rapt attention, standing in perfect attention position, absorbing every word like sacred teachings.

—

Isabelle watched from the hillside and she realised she was falling for Ragnora even more.

Not only was the Commander humble enough to offer to clean up her own mess, something someone of her power and status would never normally consider.

But she was also sharing her knowledge freely, helping her soldiers improve even in the aftermath of battle.

It made Isabelle’s heart swell.

But Ragnora wasn’t finished.

Her sharp eyes caught sight of a fellow ogre favoring one shoulder, blood seeping through her armor. Immediately, she changed course.

"Greta." She called out calmly. "Let me see that wound."

The ogre tried to wave her off.

"It’s nothing, Commander. Just a scratch. My regeneration will handle it—"

Ragnora’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"It can’t just be left like that. You might think a wound is small, but it can fester. I’ve seen soldiers lose entire limbs because they were too stubborn to treat minor injuries. Those soldiers were old and set in their ways."

Her voice was firm. "You’re young. You’re not losing an arm because of pride. Give me your bandages."

Greta obediently produced the bandages, and Ragnora began wrapping the wound.

Her hands moved with the confidence of someone who had done this a thousand times before—each wrap perfectly positioned, each layer of pressure precisely applied.

While she worked, she continued calling out instructions to the others.

"Ren, your ankle is sprained—get it checked by the healers."

"Mira, your left gauntlet is cracked—replace it before the next patrol."

"Dorin, that cut on your forehead needs stitches—don’t just wipe the blood away and pretend it’s fine."

The healing squad was already moving, responding to each command.

The injured ogre, meanwhile, was staring at her freshly bandaged shoulder with an expression of pure reverence.

"I’m never taking this bandage off!" She declared solemnly.

"When it’s time to change it, I’m going to wrap it around my sword hilt instead. It’ll become a family heirloom!"

"My children’s children will know that Commander Ragnora herself bandaged my wound!"

The other soldiers nodded approvingly, as if this was a perfectly reasonable response.

Ragnora continued her rounds, checking on the earth mages who had been maintaining the ground seals.

She then approached one young woman who was still standing in her casting circle, her face pale with exhaustion.

The mage immediately straightened, panic flickering in her eyes.

"C-Commander! I’m not injured! The barrier held! I’m completely fine—"

Ragnora looked down at her calmly. "Good job, Kyla."

The mage’s mouth fell open. "W-What?"

"I said good job." Ragnora’s voice was warm, genuinely appreciative. "It’s only been a few days since you joined the brigade, but I’ve seen your test results. They’re exceptional."

"You’re still a bit nervous in battle, but that will fade with experience. You did excellent work today." A slight pause. "I have high hopes for you."

Kyla stared at her, completely stunned. Then, slowly, hesitantly, she asked,

"Commander Ragnora...do you...do you know my name?"

Ragnora tilted her head slightly, as if the question confused her.

"Of course I know your name. Doesn’t every commander know the names of her troops?"

"But—but there are thousands of us! I only joined a few days ago! Even my own squadmates barely remember my name!"

"If a lightning bolt were flying toward you during battle, I would need to shout your name so you’d dodge. How could I do that without knowing it?"

The logic was so straightforward, so matter-of-fact, that Kyla could only stare.

"Does...Does that mean you know everyone’s name?" She whispered. "Every single person in the Holyfield Mines?"

Ragnora nodded once.

"A general who does not know her soldiers’ names has no right to command them into battle."

She turned to leave, then paused. "Continue what you’re doing. You have potential."

Kyla stood frozen for a long moment after the commander walked away. Then she bowed, her shoulders shaking with emotion.

—

Up on the hill, Isabelle had heard the entire exchange through the voice transmitter on Brenda’s wristband. She turned slowly toward Brenda.

"Is Commander Ragnora always like this?"

Brenda smiled knowingly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean—" Isabelle gestured helplessly toward the scene below. "Just look at her! She’s someone who should be sitting on a throne somewhere, with how powerful she is!"

"But instead, she’s offering to mop up monster blood! She’s correcting everyone’s stances! She’s bandaging wounds even though there’s a dedicated medical corps! And she knows every single name—"

Isabelle’s voice rose with passionate disbelief.

"How is that even possible?!"

Brenda exchanged a glance with the other soldiers—a look full of shared understanding and quiet amusement. Then she turned back to Isabelle.

"That’s just how Commander Ragnora is." She said, admiration softening her rough voice. "She goes all out when it comes to looking after her soldiers. She never stops. For her, our lives are more important than her own."

"If wrapping a bandage or giving a word of encouragement helps someone survive tomorrow, she’ll do it without hesitation. Every single time."

She leaned closer to Isabelle, dropping her voice to a murmur.

"Do you want to know something, Lady Isabelle? Something about the Commander?"

Isabelle leaned in eagerly. "What is it?"

"The truth is...Commander Ragnora should be much stronger than she already is."

Isabelle gasped. "Really?!"

She couldn’t even fathom what "stronger" meant for someone who sliced S-Class monsters like bread!

Brenda nodded grimly. "If she had focused entirely on herself—on her own training, her own potential—she could have become a monstrous being. The kind of warrior that even the most powerful entities in the world would hesitate to face."

She let out a deep, heavy sigh.

"But she’s been pouring her time into the army instead. Constant training for the troops. Constant oversight. Constant guidance. She limits her own growth to lift the rest of us up."

"She’s wasted her potential...on us."

"That’s so sad." Isabelle breathed, her heart aching. "What a terrible pity—"

"But don’t feel sorry for her, Lady Isabelle."

Brenda drew herself up, her chest swelling with fierce pride.

"Our Commander doesn’t regret it. Not for a single moment. Her lifeblood is this army. She’s never cared about her own strength. Even if she were the weakest soldier in the brigade, she would still give everything she had to bring the rest of us up with her."

She looked back toward Ragnora, who was now speaking quietly with a group of soldiers.

"That’s just how Commander Ragnora is. And it’s why everyone looks up to her."

Isabelle followed her gaze, watching the legendary warrior move among her troops like a mother tending to her children. With a leader like this...

She felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to fight for this woman. To charge into battle at her side.

Because Ragnora wasn’t the kind of general who commanded from the rear and sent others to die for her cause.

She was the exact opposite—someone who would willingly lay down her own life to protect the soldiers under her command.

And throughout it all, she remained so utterly, impossibly cool.

Isabelle was completely swooning. Her idol worship was reaching levels she hadn’t known were possible.

Every interaction, every instruction, every quiet word of encouragement only deepened her admiration.

Then something changed.

Ragnora suddenly stopped mid-conversation.

Her head turned and her gaze swept across the battlefield until it settled on the hill where Isabelle and the others were standing.

For one heart-stopping moment, Isabelle was certain those composed eyes were looking directly at her.

She felt herself flush. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She’s looking at me. Commander Ragnora is looking right at me—

But no. That wasn’t it at all.

BOOM!

The earth behind them exploded.

Isabelle spun around. Her blood ran cold.

Three more Aether Devourers had burst from the ground—massive, grotesque worms identical to the one Ragnora had just slain.

Their circular mouths gaped open, revealing thousands of razor-sharp teeth.

Their pale, glistening bodies twisted against the sky like nightmare serpents.

’Multiple S-class anomalies detected.’

The alert had said multiple. They had only killed one!

And now three more were right on top of them!