Chapter 136: Military Code
Max had Jeremiah to be mindful of the hours they spent during the study.
Jeremiah was responsible for reminding him of the rotations of the Radiant Knights to be summoned.
Max was now reading the first volume of the Military Code of Valtherion.
For the next twelve hours, he only managed to read up to three volumes.
Volume 1 tackled on Military Ranks, Volume 2 discussed on Officer Authority, and Volume 3 focused on Rule of Engagement.
In Volume 1, Max learned that there were only two special Imperial Commission Officers—Imperial Demon Vanguard and Imperial Monster Vanguard.
The Imperial Monster Vanguard was created in the year 259, when a lizard evolved to a Transcendent dragon and unified the monster race that even the demon race has to be cautioned against.
The Transcendent dragon was equivalent to SS-Rank already.
It was only unable to conquer the rest of the world as the monster race’s territory was already as vast as the demon race and from the constant threat of other races.
Whereas the human territory, such as the whole Empire state, was not even a quarter of their area.
The Imperial Monster Vanguard’s mission was similar to him.
The special Imperial Commission Officers were mentioned briefly, only tackling about their role and responsibilities, barely mentioning their founder.
The founder of the Imperial Monster Vanguard was the fourth Emperor, who was a Supreme Sword Emperor at that time.
He was also the Emperor who served very quickly as his father resumed position of the Crown as he continued with his commission’s responsibilities.
Aside from the interesting topic of special Imperial Commission Officers, Max felt bored reading most of the topic, except Chapter 1 of Volume 1, the Organization of the Imperial Armed Forces.
The second volume, on the other hand, focused on the legal powers, obligations, and limitations of commissioned officers.
It specified the authority that accompanied each level of command while establishing the legal safeguards that prevent misuse of military power.
It recognized that officers exercise authority on behalf of the Imperial Crown rather than through personal status.
The volume further repeatedly reinforced a foundational principle of Imperial military law: "An officer’s authority exists only within the scope of their lawful commission and assigned command."
In other words, if there was a possible internal strife that would occur, Max’s scope of authority was limited that he couldn’t still be compared to a Lieutenant.
However, if there was a war against the demon race, even he could stand on equal footing with the Imperial Captain.
Max noted this information in mind as he continued reading the third volume.
The third volume discussed on the the legal and ethical standards governing the use of military force.
It provided standardized operational rules intended to regulate military conduct while preserving the security of the Empire and minimizing unnecessary harm.
The Rules of Engagement applied to all Imperial military personnel during training, routine operations, declared conflicts, emergency responses, and joint missions conducted alongside other Imperial institutions.
It simply emphasized that victory alone does not justify unlawful conduct.
Military personnel were expected to distinguish between legitimate military objectives and protected persons or property, preserving discipline even under the pressures of combat.
Just reading the third volume and provided situations that the Rules of Engagement was applied caused Max to feel headache.
Above all else, the civilians and the helpless was prioritized during emergency operations, as though the military was expected to shoulder the responsibility of facing the imminent dangers while protecting others.
For the third volume, victory was useless when it was done unjustly.
Max, at first, deeply disliked the notion.
But when Jeremiah enlightened him of the possibility that those he needed to protect were his loved ones, his way of engaging the Rules of Engagement abruptly changed.
By then, he continued to discuss with Jeremiah of different situations when these rules were applied, until Jeremiah reminded him that they already spent 12 hours studying in the library.
He stretched his body and closed the book and his personal notes.
He glanced at Jeremiah and said, "Follow me. Design a training plan for us. It’s the Rangers’ turn, right?"
Jeremiah nodded respectfully.
Max stood up. "I’ll train with the Rangers for the next two hours and the Warriors for another two hours."
Max led Jeremiah to the training courtyard, as the latter spoke. "Master, Damien might not be able to train in his style."
Max shook his head. "I know you’re worried about that part, but you should recognize that his style was already his strong suit. What he needs to improve is his ability of staying alive when getting caught.
I already planned to fight three Rangers at once but given the limited area of the training courtyard and its environment, we might need to adjust.
I need your brain on that area."
Jeremiah’s eyes widened. He did not expect Max to already consider how the training should proceed.
Without hesitation, he pinched his middle finger and thumb to analyze how the training should proceed.
When they arrived in the training courtyard, Max saw how the three Rangers trained and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Due to the limitations of the environment, Damien was seen clinging into the wall, leaping from area to another, attempting to scout the surrounding while remaining unseen.
While Owen used his long bow, targeting Damon, who simply kept evading while reciprocating with his short bow from time to time, distracting Owen’s pace.
When they noticed their Master’s presence was growing closer and finally arrived before the training courtyard, they paused their training and leapt in front of him.
They kneeled simultaneously and bowed, greeting their Master.
Max nodded. "It seems the progress is a bit slow."
Max swept his gaze around the training courtyard. A simulation training will definitely help them improve.
Max shook his head in pity and decided to restrain his Radiant Knights’ training to the training courtyard.
His aim was simple—to increase their active skill’s proficiency. Aside from training, they could meditate and visualize in the training courtyard.
Max focused his gaze on them and said, "I will be accompanying you to train with me, but this time, I will fight you three alone.
For the next two hours, the training should not stop."
Max turned towards Jeremiah and said, "For today, just observe. But by tomorrow, you already design a training plan for us."
Jeremiah bowed and assured Max of his responsibility tasked by him...
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