Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 47 (Part 1)
The issue with the slave Rod was resolved, but Hedler and Lant’s problems still remained.
“Did you guys… meet with the committee members after returning today?”
“No, we only met a few instructors.”
“Then the committee will call you later.”
Hedler and Lant had just returned from a mission that took over a month. The committee would definitely want to confirm what happened during the mission.
“Us? Oh! Do we need to report the mission? But weren’t there others who returned before us?”
“No, there weren’t.”
“What? No one else came back?”
“Right. If anyone had returned, the atmosphere would have changed, and I would have noticed. Besides you two, no one else has come back.”
Hedler and Lant’s faces hardened.
They only thought about surviving and returning, not considering what happened to the others who went with them. Even Deputy Cliff, whom they met at the border, didn’t say much.
“Even the instructors didn’t come back?”
“No, no one did.”
There were three instructors who left on the mission with Hedler and Lant. If they had returned, there would have been a noticeable change in the training center’s atmosphere.
“Could it be?”
“Surely not. No matter what.”
“You said it was a trap at the end, right? Tory and Drok were injured?”
“Yeah. But it should be okay, right? Deputy Cliff didn’t say anything.”
Deputy Cliff’s task was to wait for any comrades who might return from the Kenas Forest. So even after meeting Hedler and Lant, he couldn’t have a proper conversation.
‘I’m glad you’re safe.’
‘Didn’t you see any Royal Guards on the way back?’
‘Good job. Go ahead.’
That was all the conversation they had.
Hedler and Lant answered briefly and moved straight towards the special forces training center.
“The committee must know. Anyway, that’s not the important thing. The committee will call you. They’ll probably ask about the mission and about Albrecht.”
“Right. They’ll call us for a report.”
“Focus on two things only. You didn’t meet Cory. You were hiding in a pit for several days.”
“Didn’t meet Cory, and we were hiding in a pit?”
“Yes, replace the hiding place with a pit instead of Cory. Other than that, tell them exactly what you experienced.”
Hedler and Lant didn’t have a grand plan to abandon Albrecht. They simply disliked him and thought they would all die if they took him along, so they discreetly left him behind.
“That much we can do.”
“I can handle that.”
“Never mention Albrecht first. You assume Albrecht came here first. So if they ask about Albrecht, you react like, ‘Oh? Didn’t he come first?’ Understand?”
“Got it.”
“Someone’s coming from the committee…”
Rodin quickly stopped talking and lay down on the bed. Hedler and Lant also instinctively threw themselves onto their beds.
Knock, knock! Click.
“Number 57, 58. You’re being called.”
The door opened slightly, and an assistant instructor peeked in. It was a familiar face since they often saw him as the dormitory manager.
“At this hour? What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know. You’re being called to the counseling room, so go there.”
“Yawn, understood.”
The assistant instructor closed the door and disappeared.
Hedler and Lant hurriedly changed their clothes while looking at Rodin.
“Wow, Rodin.”
“As expected, our Rodin. You know everything. Amazing.”
“It’s not that I’m amazing, it’s just obvious. The mission is over, so they want a proper report.”
“Will we be okay?”
“Of course.”
Hedler was not very book-smart but had a cunning side. He was in the same category as Cory. He wouldn’t easily make a slip of the tongue and would handle it well.
Lant was even less of a concern. He was taciturn and only spoke the essentials.
People like him tended to be trusted, so the committee members wouldn’t doubt him.
“But what about Drok, Tory, and Darren?”
“What do you mean?”
“We don’t know anything about them. How can we say anything?”
“Just say you don’t know. You met Deputy Cliff at the border but didn’t hear anything. As I said, exclude Cory’s story and change the hiding place to a pit. Other than that, tell the truth. Lies are hidden within the truth like impurities.”
The committee members disliked waiting.
They always dragged their feet, making others wait, but hated being made to wait themselves.
Having been called by the assistant instructor, they couldn’t delay long.
Reflecting on Rodin’s words, Hedler and Lant hurried out of the dormitory.
Rodin couldn’t sleep for a while after they left. He calmly pictured the battle situation while looking at the central building from the dormitory roof.
‘If it comes to it, I’ll fight.’
If there was a problem with the report and the committee tried to kill Hedler and Lant, Rodin was willing to fight.
The slave Rod production wasn’t finished, and the switch was far from complete. If they fought now, the remaining trainees might be slaves forever.
But Hedler and Lant were more important than all the trainees.
Trainees?
They were fellow slaves and trainees, but that was all. Just a bit closer than others.
‘Huff, it’s over.’
Hedler and Lant came out of the central building about an hour later. Fortunately, there were no signs of a fight, and their expressions weren’t dark.
‘Looks like they spoke well. But are Drok, Tory, and Darren really dead? Without contact, there’s no way to know.’
* * *
The Ingram Empire faced several attacks around the same time.
They lost Count Bahas, 6th-circle mage Weidman, and 30 knights of the Vanguard Knights to the Royal Guard of the Riaz Kingdom.
They also lost a Tier 6 level knight to the Royal Guard of the Beros Kingdom, and three Tier 6 level knights to a surprise attack by the Randel Kingdom.
Additionally, the allied forces of 13 countries, including the Perry Kingdom and the Aslan Kingdom, similarly killed the empire’s talents and disappeared.
In just two months, they lost 16 Tier 6 Knights and 3 6th-circle mages.
However, they didn’t just suffer losses.
Entering deep into the rear meant the retreat route was also longer.
The empire succeeded in killing about half of the forces that had entered their territory. In numbers, it was a gain for the Ingram Empire.
But no one in the empire considered it a gain.