[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
Chapter 76
After successfully completing my application, I lingered around the checkpoint for quite a while to assess the level and scale of the volunteer rcenaries.
"Yuhan."
Suddenly, soone called from behind.
Turning around, I saw it was the knight who had processed my application earlier.
"I'm glad I found you. I have sothing urgent to deliver."
The knight said, holding out a rolled-up docunt.
When I looked at him with a questioning expression, he added an explanation.
"It's a summons to the war command center."
"...The war command center? At this hour? Why?"
"Well, I haven't heard the details either."
The knight shrugged his shoulders as if he knew nothing.
The scroll only said to co as quickly as possible and contained no other information.
I was left to ponder the reason myself.
"But it seems to be quite an urgent matter."
"Why?"
"This has never happened before. The command center summoning soone like this. And you haven't even been registered for long."
"Hmm."
He was right.
It had only been about three hours since I filled out the application.
The fact that they sent these summons in such a short ti ant there must be so problem at the war command center.
Or maybe they had sothing urgent to tell .
'Should I go?'
I was troubled by the summons with no known cause or reason.
'But Mister and Kayla will be waiting...'
I promised to return soon, and they would surely worry if I disappeared without a word.
Especially Thompson, given his personality.
I was more worried about what he might do on his end.
"Anyway, go quickly. They said they have a carriage waiting for you over there."
I couldn't refuse either.
They even sent a carriage, how could I refuse?
Moreover, the commander of the war command center must be a very high-ranking person.
Finally, after much deliberation, I ca up with a solution.
"You'll be here all day, right?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. Not just today, but I have to stay at the checkpoint until the recruitnt is over."
"That's good. Then, just a mont."
Swiftly, I grabbed a blank piece of paper and a pen nearby and diligently wrote sothing down.
It was a ssage for Thompson, in case he ca rushing here.
'Hmm, this should be enough.'
Handing the finished ssage to the knight, I said,
"If soone nad Thompson cos looking for , please give him this."
"Thompson? Ah, isn't that the na of the mage you applied on behalf of earlier?"
"Yes, that's right. He's an uncle with bronze skin and bigger than most knights. You'll know who he is as soon as you see him."
"Bigger than most knights? Is he really a mage...?"
The knight seed to have doubts, but in any case, the ssage delivery was successful.
With this, I could go to the command center without much worry.
I imdiately headed to where the knight had pointed, and indeed, a carriage was waiting.
There was even a coachman.
"Are you Mr. Yuhan?"
"Yes, I am."
"If you co this way, I will escort you."
Unlike other coachn, he was quite elegantly dressed and guided very courteously, bowing his waist.
Judging by the atmosphere, it seed like they hadn't called in for sothing bad.
Erasing the possibility that I had been worried about, I boarded the carriage.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The carriage slowly started to move forward.
Feeling the rattling, I fell into thought.
'Why did they call ?'
Earlier, I had just brushed it off, thinking there must be sothing urgent, but it was better to think about it now.
That way, I could be prepared for whatever happened.
'First of all, judging by the coachman's attitude, it's not a bad thing.'
I looked at the situation from a third party's perspective.
'A 4th Circle mage applied with less than two weeks left before the war... ...Could there be a problem with that?'
This wasn't enough to go on.
In other words, it was a matter that needed to be viewed from a broader perspective.
I went over the situation step by step, thinking about the reasons.
Fortunately, sothing ca to mind.
'...Co to think of it, the level of the volunteer rcenaries was terrible, wasn't it?'
It was only a few hours of observation, but that was enough to tell.
That the level of applicants was very low.
Of course, it was possible that today was just a particularly bad day.
But what if it wasn't? What if it had been like this all along?
Surely the war command center would be quite anxious.
With a large-scale war looming, only those who were of little help were applying in droves.
They must have been racking their brains over the lack of manpower.
'...And that's when I applied.'
It must have been welco news to them, like rain in a drought.
And it wasn't just .
There was also Kayla and Thompson.
Three precious mages applying together at once, they must have been even more pleased.
Of course, this wasn't a reason to call in separately.
There must be sothing more to it.
As I continued to ponder...
'...Aha?'
A thought crossed my mind.
"I see."
I thought I knew why they had called to the command center.
***
About an hour after I boarded the carriage?
Clunk-.
"Mr. Yuhan, we have arrived."
The carriage suddenly stopped, and the coachman knocked on the door.
It seed we had arrived already.
"We’ve arrived faster than expected?"
"That's because there's a dedicated road between Sector 4 and Sector 3. Here, this way."
"Ah, thank you."
"Then, I'll be off..."
The coachman escorted to the front of the building, bowed politely, and returned to the carriage.
Seeing him hurry, it seed he was going to pick up soone else.
Well, it's none of my business.
I turned my gaze to the building in front of .
"So this is the war command center."
I had heard that this place was hastily built in preparation for the upcoming [Blood Moon Prophecy].
[TL/N: From this Point onwards I’ll Address (The Prophecy of the Blood Moon) as (Blood Moon Prophecy)]
However, the building was neat for sothing like that.
Perhaps they were using a pre-existing building?
Well, it's Sector 3, so it's only natural.
There are no shabby buildings here.
Aside from the building, even the streets were clean without a speck of litter.
Anyway.
Chuck, chuck!
Clearing my thoughts, I approached the entrance of the building, and guards with spears blocked my way.
One of them looked up and down and asked,
"What's your business?"
"I received a summons to co here."
I replied, holding out the scroll I had received earlier.
The guard captain carefully checked to see if it was forged.
"Ah, yes. I'll confirm your identity. Please present your identification card."
Beep.
I swiped my ID card on the device provided at the entrance.
"If you have any weapons, please submit them. This includes artifacts."
"Here you go."
I took off all the bracelets, necklaces, gloves, and so on that I was wearing.
"Please wear this."
"What is this?"
"It's an artifact that suppresses magic. It's a precaution in case of any accidents."
Only after I put on the strange-looking wrist guard was I given the signal to enter.
Certainly, the level of security was different from the rear areas where everything was handled haphazardly.
Nevertheless, I managed to get inside and soon found a room with a sign that read 'Strategy Room.'
I was told that the person who summoned was in this room.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Co in."
I knocked lightly and opened the door.
The first thing I saw was a man with a curled mustache.
His presence here ant he was a very high-ranking person, so I bowed my head respectfully.
"I am Yuhan."
"I am Barus Garian."
He introduced himself and gestured for to sit down.
I sat down as instructed and waited for a mont, then Barus sat across from .
He spoke first.
"So, you're a 4th Circle mage currently enrolled at Asion Academy?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Why did you volunteer to be a war rcenary?"
"To gain real-world experience. It's sothing I can't get just by attending the academy."
That was about half a lie.
Honestly, I wouldn't have applied if there hadn't been a reward.
However, perhaps it sounded reasonable enough, as Barus nodded his head.
"Huh... you're a rare one. Unlike those know-it-alls who just brag while shooting magic from the back."
"I'm grateful if you see that way."
"I like you very much."
Barus tapped his chin and fell into thought.
Then, as if he had rembered sothing, he opened his mouth again.
What was he going to say?
"So, are you doing well with your studies at the academy?"
An unexpected question about grades.
"Ah... yes. I'm getting satisfactory results."
"That's good to hear."
And then...
"Are you short of money by any chance? It must be expensive to attend Asion Academy... Isn't it a bit of a burden?"
"...I have a full scholarship, so it's fine."
"This is an amazing talent!"
A sudden question about money.
Questions about family, residence, career path, and so on...
I couldn't understand what he was trying to say at all.
It felt like I was looking at an NPC trying to increase their affinity with a player.
At this rate, it seed like we would be up all night, so I had no choice but to bring up the topic myself.
"So, the reason you called ...?"
Only then did Barus put on a serious expression.
"Is there anything you want? Tell everything if you do."
Of course, the content was still absurd.
Suddenly asking for what I want?
"...Excuse ?"
"I'll grant you all of them."
Barus opened his eyes wide as if he wasn't joking at all.
It seed like he had been saying strange things to find this out...
First, I needed to hear what they wanted.
"What do you want from ?"
When I asked that, Barus slid a docunt across the table.
I checked and saw it was the application I had filled out earlier.
His finger was pointing to the special notes section.
[Can provide support from so academic societies.]
"Is this written here true?"
'I knew it.'
As expected, there was no other reason for them to call here but this.
The support of the academic societies.
From the war command center's point of view, there was no better option than this.
It would be a sure way to fill the shortage of manpower.
"Yes, it's true."
"Then I'd like you to help us. What do you think?"
The point here was to figure out how much they wanted.
"What kind of support are you looking for?"
I had already discussed this to so extent with the head of the academic society.
He said that they could provide support in the form of necessary supplies, food, and even so artifacts as a welfare asure.
If the war command center was asking for sothing like that, it would be reasonable to comply.
In return, I could get sothing better.
But...
"We need more mages. With our current forces, there's no way we can win this war... If you grant my request, I will definitely give you what you want."
Barus demanded human resources, not material goods.
He held my hand with a desperate look.
Honestly, I wanted to help, but this was a bit difficult for too.
"I'm afraid it's difficult to get students to participate in the war. Most of them tend to avoid war, and it's actually very dangerous..."
As I was about to refuse...
Barus shook his head and interrupted .
"I'm not talking about the students."
"Excuse ? Then..."
"We already have enough manpower. What we need now are high-ranking mages who can influence the war on a legion scale."
High-ranking mages.
That ant mages of the 7th Circle or higher.
In other words, he was asking to get support from the elder mages of the academic society.
'Huh.'
It was absurd.
Asking , a re academy student, to do that?
Shouldn't he be going directly to the academic society?
'Who am I to bring such people?'
As I was making a dumbfounded face at the thought...
Barus continued.
"Asion Academy values the safety of its students above all else, right?"
At the sa ti.
Thump!
Thump, thump, thump!
Chuck. Chuck. Chuck!
My heart warned of danger as dozens of guards suddenly stord into the strategy room.
All of them pointing their sharp spearheads at .
"...It seems my choice didn't matter from the beginning."
"I'm sorry. I had no other choice. It's an urgent situation."
Barus Garian.
I thought he was a foolish person, unbefitting of his position.
But now that I see him again, he's a cunning and bold person.
"Will you cooperate?"
Honestly.
The minds of the people in this world are unpredictable.
How could they even think of taking an academy student hostage?
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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