The C-rank Knight was in a hurry that some officers inside had their attention caught by his action.

The C-rank Knight told Max to give him five minutes to inform the Commander, so he must provide an answer within the span of time.

After receiving the letter from Max, he hurried to the Commander’s Office, located on the uppermost floor.

The Command Hall building rose four stories and the Commander’s Office being located at the top definitely meant five minutes would be quite short.

He took the stairs for a short cut until he finally arrived outside of the Commander’s Office.

There was a C-rank Knight officer stationed outside and the C-rank Knight informed him of his purpose.

Just by having the office to scrutinize the letters, he was then already allowed, for the Commander was inside the office, doing paperworks.

When the door was opened, the C-rank Knight immediately spotted the Commander sitting in front of a table, reading reports from various settlements through the communication crystal arrays, an advanced version of Rune Resonance Array.

Coincidentally, what he read came from the Greyfen Village and his expression was grim.

Being interrupted midway caused him to be slightly displease, but as soon as he saw the letters from the knight’s hand, a realization dawned on him.

He glanced at the C-rank Knight and said solemnly, "Give me the letters and bring him here."

The C-rank Knight nodded and handed the letters to him before rushing off to inform Max.

The Commander put down the reports and decided to open the letter and read it.

When he finished reading the letters, he heard the door was knocked and said, "You didn’t even knock before entering earlier. Just enter."

The door was opened.

Max was the only one who entered.

As soon as the Commander’s eyes landed at him, he was startled.

Max’s was emanating a light mana not just from his body but also from the set equipment.

The Commander’s heart raced.

He... He inherited a legacy.

The Commander was astonished.

Whenever there was a random appearance of an individual with a light affinity with mana and suddenly had a complete set equipment conveyed he inherited a legacy.

They often called it "the savior’s legacy."

The first emperor was such a case. The second emperor’s advisor, who actually inherited a legacy of an Architect of Fate, eventually passing the legacy to the second emperor and evolved it to a higher different level.

Although the tactician’s class doesn’t naturally possess the light affinity, it was one of the broken classes that became the primary reason the Empire expanded hastily and solidified its foundation.

Still, it was not a great example for what he had seen today.

Perhaps, the better example of it was the church’s lord and savior, explaining the great influence of the church’s today.

Whenever those individuals appeared, they were called "Apostles", but they were just titles granted by the higher position in the church.

Most of the apostles wouldn’t often last long because of their responsibility.

To fight against demons.

It was already a miracle that the First Emperor lasted longer.

After his momentary of realization, his gaze on Max was now filled with respect.

...

Max was scrutinizing the Commander, who was stunned as soon as he entered.

He appeared to be in his early forties.

He possessed a tall, broad-shouldered build developed through decades of military service.

His posture remained consistently upright, reflecting formal Imperial discipline.

His dark ash-brown hair was kept short and neatly maintained in accordance with military regulations, with subtle streaks of silver beginning to appear near his temples.

He has steel-gray eyes that were lost in deep thought.

His facial features were defined by a square jaw, a straight nose, and a calm, composed expression.

A faint scar extended diagonally across his left cheek, partially concealed beneath a neatly trimmed beard.

His official attire consisted of a dark steel officer’s cuirass engraved with the crest of the Empire of Valtherion, worn over a deep crimson military coat.

Twin silver stars were displayed upon his high collar, signifying the rank of Imperial Officer Captain.

Max a bit startled when the Commander’s gaze was suddenly filled with astonishment.

The Commander abruptly stood up and walked out of the table.

Max spotted a ceremonial longsword hung at his left hip.

The Commander walked towards him and extended his hand, offering a greeting.

Max thought for a while and finally accepted it while his mind ran wild.

He remained overly cautious, afraid that the Commander might put him in a very difficult situation.

Thankfully, after only perceiving his firm grasp on his hand, the Commander slightly shook his hand and greeted him.

"I’m Commander Caelen Draven. An Imperial Captain Officer. You can just call me Commander Draven."

Max nodded. "Nice to meet you, Commander Draven. I’m Maximus Grant. You can call me Max."

Max smiled and exuded an amiable aura, delighting the Commander.

The Commander stared at Max and thought. As expected of the apostles, they truly radiate an admiring aura.

The Commander fell into silence, not knowing he was making Max feel awkward after being lost in his thoughts.

Max decided to break the silence and said, "You’re a War Lord, right? Just the passive aura you radiated invigorated me."

The Commander was surprised and exploded into a hoot of laughter.

Max chuckled as well, joining him.

The Commander said, "Thank you for the compliment."

Suddenly, his face turned grim and said in a grave tone, "Anyway, I read the letter from the Lieutenant Garrick, but I assume this was written before your encounter with the demons, who ambushed you, right?

Can I hear the full details?"

Max nodded.

The Commander smiled and brought Max to the seating area.

He invited Max to take a seat first and flicked his fingers.

A C-rank Knight soon entered and brought a kettlepot and two cups placed on a small plate.

He placed them to the table and pushed each cup to Max and the Commander.

He poured the cup while silently scrutinizing Max, while the latter acted to ignore him.

When he was finished, he placed the kettlepot and left.

The Commander gestured for Max to drink the tea first and Max felt his mind refreshed after taking a sip.

Apocalypse Online really didn’t even try to make the world closer to the reality just from this single taste...

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to show your supports by giving golden tickets, powerstones, gifts, and reviews! It means a lot since this is participating for WSA.