'Baptism…' thought Oliver making the connection with what the old man said about the 'naming'.
"You will see soon enough,for now come with me! every nameless is supposed to gather together and wait" says the man with a hint of excitement on his face while looking at his bracelet from time to time.
'It doesn't seem like he harbors any ill intentions to me' Oliver placed his trust in him and slowly followed the man.
'Just like last night…' thought Oliver, his hand tightening around his blade hilt still harboring doubts about someone so willing to help, knowing full well what their circumstances were.
If there was one thing he had learned from his past life, it was that kindness never comes for free.
Arriving there, Oliver saw multiple people who had been present the night before at the campfire. Even the old man was there, his eyes solemn, fixed on the fortress gates as if waiting for someone to emerge.
The heavy crash of hooves against the ground began to resound as heavily armored soldiers emerged all at once from the city. Leading them was the general, riding an exalted white stallion and dressed in his domineering black armor without a single speck of dust or scratch on it.
He was once again accompanied by his two assistants, whose mounts looked ordinary in comparison.
Arriving in front of the Nameless, the general swiftly dismounted his horse and stood there waiting for his assistants to follow. He unsheathed his weapon and plunged it straight into the ground, making the Nameless flinch for a moment as they instinctively thought they were the target.
Oliver stood at the back, trying his best not to show any fear.
The general surveyed every Nameless present, scanning from left to right and back again, his gaze lingering on each of their bracelets whose colors varied from person to person.
The general's eyes immediately locked onto an interesting prospect, and he pointed his finger directly at him, shouting loud enough for everyone to hear.
"You, come here!" said the General, his eyes fixed on the scrawny kid covered in bandages.
Oliver had no choice but to approach, trying his best not to enrage him.
Standing right in front of the general, Oliver could feel the immense pressure radiating from this man,his legs even began to shake.
The pressure the man exuded was overwhelming. After managing to hold his ground for barely a minute, Oliver's legs simply gave out. He knelt down and waited for his sentence.
The general gave the kid a slight smirk before speaking again.
"Boy, you have a red bracelet,you will become a great warrior," said the general with a proud voice.
"Over ten official kills in a single day. You got the best score out of them all, kid."
'Ten… How does he know? Can this bracelet actually count the amount? How did the original body manage to actually do it?'
He had barely managed to defeat one militia member using everything he had, whether physical or magical. But this scrawny boy had managed to take down another nine before he took over his body
'Just what in the world were you?'
Oliver was left speechless, unable to process what he had just heard.
He could only stare at the red spear plunged into the ground, afraid to meet the general's gaze.
"Alexios, do it now," said the general, pointing at Oliver's arm.
"Yes, General," said Alexios, unsheathing his great axe and swinging in one swift motion.
Perfectly splitting the bracelet in two and freeing Oliver's hand.
Looking at his arm, now free from the rocky bracelet, Oliver could only let out a sigh as his legs slowly recovered their strength. A smirk was spread all across the general's face.
'Was that aura another special power, or had that bracelet been suppressing me the entire time?' thought Oliver, now able to meet the general's gaze as he waited for him to continue.
"Your will is no longer bound to any phony. Now, do you wish to swear fealty to me,Arjun, leader of the Aries band? A mighty warrior whose wishes will be fulfilled, as long as you follow me."
'Tsk, it's not like I have any other choice. If I refuse, you would probably kill me without remorse.'
'Staying with them a little longer until I get the hang of my powers and this world is for the better. Who knows what would happen if I tried to run away with no way to properly defend myself,' thought Oliver, accepting his circumstances for now.
"Yes, General Arjun. I am honored to serve under you! I swear I will not disappoint you, sir! My life is yours, sir!"
Screamed Oliver, trying his best to make a good impression, his face turning bright red by the time he finished.
Upon seeing the young man's devotion, the general's laughter began to resound,this mighty man, who had only laughed after a ferocious victory, was now laughing freely in front of a lowly soldier.
His assistant Fion, whose face rarely depicted any emotion, was now chuckling behind her helmet, trying her best to keep her composure.
Alexios, on the other hand, simply kept his calm, quietly wishing they would finish this sooner.
After some good laughs, the general got back to his usual attitude, his tone becoming serious once again.
"Welcome to the band, boy. Don't cozy up now that you are free, trouble will soon come knocking, you will soon get a contract about your salary later this evening. Fion will explain everything to you later.
As for your equipment, Alexios is the one who knows what will suit you best.
Now to the important part of the ceremony, you shall no longer be nameless, you have the right to assume a new identity once again, any name to your liking?"
Oliver could now breathe a sigh of relief, realizing he had panicked for nothing. He would get a source of income, a place to eat and sleep,all just for becoming a soldier for a while. In a world where monsters were large enough to stomp on humans and destroy iron gates with ease, the military is probably the safest place to be right now.
Once he had accumulated enough wealth and strength to stand on his own, he would retire from being a soldier and try to find meaning in his life. Rising through the ranks and aiming for the general's position was never something he wished for or even thought about. Fighting without a reason was something he despised the most. And he was curious about other things to begin with.
He didn't believe he would be lucky enough to have transmigrated for no reason at all. Even if the reason wasn't yet clear, he still had to try and find it. After all, solving mysteries had been one of his biggest dreams back on Earth.
'Shit, I am thinking way too far into the future once again,' thought Oliver, noticing that the general was still waiting for an answer.
Right,he had asked what his name would be. Then I shall be called Oliver again —aaghh.
While thinking about his name, Oliver felt a sudden pain strike through his internal organs. He tried his best to suppress it and utter his name, but it was to no avail.
Every time he thought about it, he felt as though blood was about to spurt from every orifice.
The general's face shifted to one of concern, unsure of what had happened to the enthusiastic boy that was fine moments ago.
'Did I actually overdo it?He managed to stand on his for a minute though' thought the general.
He finally endured it and muttered something,something even he didn't understand.
"Neven… My name is Neven," said the scrawny boy, trying his best to remain conscious, his pain slowly dissipating after the words left his mouth.
'Is?' thought the general, but he instantly changed his mind,thinking that a term like this wasn't important.
Instead, the general offered a hand and helped the boy stand on his own and finally said:
"Welcome, Neven!"
… …. ….