Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 48 (Part 1)
Hedler and Lant were summoned to the consultation room once more a few days later.
They had to repeat their previous report in front of Commissioners Kser, Elrov, and Habinon.
After sending Hedler and Lant away, only the three commissioners remained.
“The disappearance of Commissioner Albrecht. It’s unbelievable.”
“Can we trust their words? Even if they didn’t lie on purpose, could they be mistaken about something? I just can’t believe that Commissioner Albrecht is dead.”
“It must be true. I have a knight in the Royal Guard I know, and I inquired a bit. They said that half of the Royal Guard died while leaving the Ingram Empire. Most of those who survived are injured.”
Commissioner Habinon had extensive connections, originally coming from the merchant class. Even though his trading company had disappeared, his old network was still spread throughout the kingdom.
Information obtained by such a well-connected Habinon had a high probability of being true.
The death of half of the Royal Guard was a massive loss.
Commissioners Kser and Elrov were speechless at the scale of the Royal Guard’s casualties.
“Half of the Royal Guard gone?”
“That’s what I heard. Even Count Frais, the captain, is severely injured and recuperating.”
“Haa, the once formidable Royal Guard… it’s hard to believe.”
“Indeed.”
The Royal Guard of the Riaz Kingdom was the strongest single force in the kingdom. Composed entirely of knights of at least 4th-level, their training was the most rigorous.
“We’ve also suffered losses in our Special Forces. All three instructors are dead. Fortunately, numbers 57 and 58, who came today, seem to be fine, but number 90 is dead. Number 60’s thigh injury is so severe it’s almost like being dead.”
No one in the committee cared about the deaths of the three instructors since they were hired personnel.
“Well, casualties are inevitable in war.”
“They were unlucky.”
Number 90 was Tory, and number 60 was Drok.
Tory had been shot in the neck with an arrow when they fell into a trap in the Kenaz Forest. Since his corpse had already arrived in friendly territory, there was no hope that he was alive.
Drok was alive but had a severely necrotic thigh from being left untreated for a long time. Rapid treatment could save him, but no one intended to provide it.
Rapid treatment wasn’t something special. It involved pouring a lot of potions into a bucket and soaking the injured part entirely in it.
To rapidly treat Drok’s thigh injury, at least 10 liters of healing potion would be needed. This was the same amount the committee received from Rodin monthly and sold.
Considering the current potion price of over 30 gold, rapid treatment would cost over 12,000 gold.
No one would spend that much money on a slave swordsman at the 4th Tier. Naturally, the committee also had no intention of spending 12,000 gold on just one trainee.
“Still, our hope, Special Forces magician 4th batch number 155, survived. He’s injured but not seriously.”
“Oh, our hope survived indeed.”
Rodin, number 108 of the 3rd batch, was no longer the hope of the Special Forces training center.
Since becoming a 5th-circle magician at the age of twelve, he had become a headache for the committee, but his status changed to a cash cow by making potions.
“When will he return?”
“They say he will be sent back once number 155’s injuries heal.”
“So number 155 is bringing number 60 with him.”
“Tsk, this mission caused significant casualties. I’ve heard that the 1st batch also suffered considerable damage.”
The 1st batch, who had left to find the Ingram Empire’s magic corps, had already been wandering the allied 13 countries for over a year. Not only them, but other search units sent by the 13-country alliance were also continuously on the move, accumulating casualties.
“Since we’re on the topic, let’s discuss the war. What do you think about it?”
“The royal family and the military are doing their best, and if we support them appropriately, we can win.”
“Commissioner Elrov, let’s be honest… really honest. Aren’t you already preparing to move to the central continent, selling off your assets?”
“Ahem.”
Embarrassed, Commissioner Elrov cleared his throat. He turned his head to avoid their gaze, but he couldn’t hide his reddened face.
However, Commissioners Kser and Habinon didn’t scold Elrov. They couldn’t, because they were doing the same thing.
“I’m not saying this to blame anyone. I’m also keeping an eye on the timing.”
“Ahem, me too. This country is finished. It’s just a matter of time. Soon, the name Riaz Kingdom will disappear.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“It’s a pity. If we hadn’t been so greedy in the past… tsk tsk.”
Commissioners Kser and Elrov agreed with Habinon’s words. No matter how positively they tried to think, they couldn’t see the 13-country alliance winning.
“So, let’s talk about this. The only place we can escape to is the central continent, right?”
“That’s true. The only country without war in the western continent is the Kingdom of Talereh, but they have monster problems.”
“Indeed, but the countries in the central continent are all more or less the same. If this country were in the central continent, it would live boastfully.”
“Yes, the central continent has no overwhelmingly powerful countries.”
The countries in the 13-country alliance weren’t weak. The problem was the Ingram Empire, the hegemon of the western continent, being overwhelmingly strong.
With such an overwhelmingly powerful country existing, other countries appeared weak in comparison.
In contrast, the central continent had over 60 countries with similar levels of power.
Even Maven Kingdom, one of the most notable countries in the central continent, wasn’t much different from the Riaz Kingdom.
“If we gather a bit of power, we can easily settle in any country in the central continent.”
“Gather power? How do you mean?”
“We need to take our slaves. They are well-forged swords. And we have the reliable safety device of the slave rod. We must use them well.”
Commissioner Kser had no intention of abandoning the Special Forces slaves when they fled. He planned to use them repeatedly, having trained them meticulously.
“Hmm, taking all of them would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, if you think you can handle it, you can do that. I’ll take only a few. If the scale is too large, it will slow us down.”
“How do you plan to divide them?”
“We should discuss it here. I have the information about our slaves. Let’s read it and make our choices. Ah! I plan to take number 57.”
Commissioner Kser chose Hedler first.
Hedler, being of noble origin, had excellent looks. He exuded the aura of a knight rather than a slave.
“Then I’ll take number 58. He seems dependable.”
“Haha, as a swordsman, I prefer a magician. I’ll take number 155.”
“And from the 3rd batch…”
The division of the Special Forces trainees didn’t end with three. From the 3rd and 4th batches, they picked suitable talents and divided them among the three commissioners.
“I have 19.”
“I have 16. But Commissioner Kser, are you okay with just 10? You’ll need a lot of labor to settle in a new place.”
“Having more means more food consumption. And above all, I dislike being bothered. This number is just right for me.”