Chapter 1228 (1/2)
The day Vualla left for her training was a strained moment for Randidly. They met alone, on the edges of the old supply track and looked at each other for a long time. Those same unsaid conversations from Ileot’s alcove hung between them. Both were awkward about saying goodbyes, so neither gave breath to the anxieties that they each felt. Even though Randidly was almost furiously determined not to simply let her go without saying anything, reality proved that some issues couldn’t be overcome even with Stats.
They hugged, they kissed, and then she was gone, taking the Ileot’s corpse with her to free up the original Vualla before she proceeded to report to the Xyrt Brigade.
Randidly had watched Vualla leave and thought of all the things he could have said. Even then, watching her departing back, very few things came to his mind. But Randidly could tell from the sweat on his palms that he should have said something more.
Turning away, Randidly tried to comfort himself. It’s not like this is the last time I see her. And Vualla is strong. Strong enough to overpower the original Vualla’s attempt at possessing her. Even if there are dangers in the Xyrt Brigade, she can handle them. After all, compared to me, her image is extremely powerful…
The week of sparring had actually been quite eye-opening for Randidly. True, reaching the Nether Gatekeeper density made it extremely difficult for Vualla to injure his physical body, but she routinely overpowered his image. Leveraging his advantage in terms of Mana-efficient Skills could distract Vualla enough for Randidly to take the initiative, but all of his images paled in comparison to Vualla’s rapidly developing image of physical motion.
That explosive destruction that could be produced by a body seemed to be constantly improving. It bruised the Grim Chimera, extinguished the flames of Ignition Essence, and blasted away the bark of Yggdrasil.
Vualla’s finally tapping into her potential and making full use of her advantages. I might have more advantages, but I’m still trying to find the perfect way to utilize each of them… Plus I’m working on three images at once… Despite the resulting existential dread, it might be nice to have a duplicated version of myself that could give me some pointers about making more better images...
Jokes aside, her performance in the spars made Randidly increasingly focused on growing stronger. After watching Vualla stride confidently off toward the military checkpoint, Randidly returned to the gathering area that he had agreed on with Heiffal. When he arrived, there were almost seven hundred individuals carrying leather backpacks and gripping their weapons in white-knuckled fists. Zauna and Salazar were there as well, which had Randidly raising his eyebrows at his two direct subordinates.
Because shock immediately surfaced in his heart upon seeing them; the duo had recovered their bodies. Considering the fact that most of Lord Miln’s headquarters had been ransacked and destroyed, Randidly began to suspect that it wasn’t Nether Beasts that so perfectly annihilated Lord Miln’s research.
Randidly tried his best to smile innocently. If they didn’t want to bring up recovering their bodies, Randidly wasn’t going to grill them over it. “Is being my assistants such a bad job that you're pledging your services to Heiffal here?”
“W-w-we w-would like to c-come as well,” Salazar mumbled when he felt Randidly’s amused stare.
Randidly could only shake his head helplessly. It was already a gamble to create so many Aether connections. Even adding two more made him hesitate. “The whole reason I’m sending this bunch to Earth ahead of me is so that none of the Xyrt Brigade notice missing troops. The final reports on casualty numbers are due next week. So they need to be gone as soon as possible.”
“W-we can be d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-”
Sighing, Randidly waved Salazar to stop so he wouldn’t be eternally struck on the inauspicious word ‘dead’. “But I’ve already reported both of you alive. It’s not that I don’t value everything that you’ve done for me, it’s just that you’ll likely be pursued.”
Salazar’s scaly face fell, but Zauna stepped forward and passed Randidly a bit of paper. After scanning it, Randidly could only chuckle bitterly. It was a form detailing that Lady Iellaya, Supreme Commander of the Forefather Frontline, had honorably discharged Zuana and Salazar due to their exemplary behavior in the wake of the Nether King’s attack. There were several paragraphs detailing their contribution to the forces of Aether, but Randidly didn’t bother to read them closely.
Guess this solves the mystery of what happened to Lord Miln’s base. Must be nice not to have your activities catch the notice of military high command. Grimacing, Randidly rubbed the growing stubble on his cheeks. I know that Lady Iellaya said that the increase in our service time was a punishment for the disappearance of ileot’s body, but in light of that, I’m surprised Lady Iellaya’s request to pardon the rest of these two’s service time went through without a hitch. After all, they are my direct subordinates…
...is this some kind of trap…?
But perhaps it was just as simple as Lady Iellaya had stated it was; they had been punished, so afterward the high command didn’t really concern themselves with ‘unrelated’ parties. Obtaining the service of four powerful individuals for a few more years was benefit enough for the high command to consider the issue resolved.
“...well, either way, I suspect you two will head out with me later. Lady Iellaya had a good point; I should be seen passing through the military checkpoint before I disappear rather than letting them know I can build a bridge from everywhere. So bad news Heiffal, you’ll still be in charge for the next few weeks. Do you remember your orders?”
Heiffal nodded seriously. “Proceed directly to Kharon, looking for Helen, Naffur, or Tatiana. They will establish our identity in Kharon and let us know the situation in the surrounding area. Afterward, help train the people of Kharon and the Order Ducis to use images. Assist them, but only handle only minor problems or those that appear too powerful to normally appear on a world that hasn’t yet experienced a Calamity.”