Chapter 71

“What, what do we do now, sis?”

“I don’t know! How the hell would I know, damn it!”

Not far from the collapsing fortress, Erika gritted her teeth.

Following Theo’s orders, all the hostages had been safely evacuated to a secure zone. But at that very moment, the enemy began their bombardment. For some reason, the fortress was crumbling, and it seemed certain that Squad 5 would suffer heavy casualties.

They had to go help the members, of course, but they were at a loss as to how to approach the situation. If they tried to assist recklessly, it might only worsen the damage.

And with only three days of real battle experience, there was little these rookies could realistically do.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it! This isn’t the battlefield I imagined……!’

She had assumed she’d be able to make a grand impact as soon as she was deployed to the frontlines. But the reality was absolute chaos.

“What about us! What’s going to happen to us?”

“Where are the other members? It seems like the terrorists are planning another attack! Shouldn’t we hurry and get out of here?”

“What are you standing around for? Get moving already!”

“Why are you messing everything up like this! If you came to rescue us, then do it right!”

The bigger problem was that the hostages were panicking, adding to the chaos.

Crunch!

The stress made the blood vessels in Erika’s eyes swell.

Boom!

Holcus slammed his sword into the ground with a loud crash.

“Shut up, you fucking bastards!”

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

“Who do you think caused all this damage in the first place! If you didn’t want this to happen, maybe you shouldn’t have gotten yourselves captured like idiots in the first place!”

Holcus’ fierce eyes scanned the hostages. They recoiled, their heads shrinking down as they desperately avoided eye contact.

“Make one more fuss. Next time, I’ll leave you right here and not come back, got it?”

Most of the hostages were merchants who only knew basic swordsmanship for self-defense. They didn’t dare think of resisting.

Swoosh.

Holcus turned to Erika, a smirk on his face that seemed to ask, ‘I did well, right?’

Erika was so taken aback she almost laughed, but thanks to him, her previously clogged thoughts began to clear.

‘If it were Theo. If it were Theo, what would he do here?’

She recalled the new recruit who, unlike her, never showed a hint of panic and always knew what to do. As she tried to recall that moment, she felt like she could see a way forward.

“Let’s go.”

“What are you thinking? It looks like rescuing them will be difficult.”

“We don’t need to rescue them. They’re the White Armored Dragon Cavalry, the best in the North. They won’t fall that easily.”

“Then what? Are we going to charge straight into the enemy lines?”

“No. The ones who set this trap must have prepared something to counter the wyverns.”

“This is driving me crazy. Just tell me straight. What’s the plan?”

“We strike when they think it’s all over, when their guard is down.”

“……?”

Holcus couldn’t understand what his sister was saying, but Erika had already mounted her wyvern.

As she did, she addressed the hostages.

“This place isn’t easily observed from the outside. Please wait here for a while. Do not, under any circumstances, come out.”

Before the hostages could react or try to stop her—

Whoosh!

Erika had already taken to the sky, soaring powerfully on her wyvern.

* * *

Meanwhile, Squad 5 of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry had encountered an unexpected situation inside the shelter.

“Captain?”

“You are… Evelyn?”

There were already other people in the shelter.

Trainer Isben, the original captain of Squad 5, who was previously reported dead, along with four of his squad members. Among them were also the other hostages who hadn’t been accounted for during the rescue.

It seemed that the shelter had been used to detain people separately all this time.

“It’s the captain!”

“The captain is alive!”

The squad members, seeing Trainer alive, couldn’t help but light up with joy.

At that exact moment, Black Skull, who had been secretly observing the group, made his move. He aimed to exploit their moment of distraction.

But—

“You think you can mess around without your leader here?!”

Slash! Slash!

The ambush posed no real threat to Squad 5.

Selperd easily flicked the blood off his sword as he approached Trainer.

“What on earth happened to you, really?”

Though Selperd’s words were grumbling, his tightly pressed lips betrayed his trembling emotions. The condition of Trainer and the other survivors wasn’t good. None of them had escaped without losing at least one limb, and some were so feverish they couldn’t even stand properly.

“Yeah… I don’t really know what kind of mess this is either. Haha. But it’s good to be alive and to see you all again. And to see Evelyn back safe as well.”

Trainer touched his severed left leg and gave Evelyn a smile.

“That arm… is that a prosthetic?”

“Yes, it is.”

Evelyn removed her glove, revealing her left arm made of metal.

“Wow, it’s seamless.”

“It was made by Majang.”

“Majang…? I knew she had many hidden skills, but I didn’t know she could do something like this.”

There were indeed techniques in surgery, healing magic, or divine arts that could restore severed limbs. But those methods involved reattaching the lost limb and regenerating the tissue.

There was no known method capable of creating a prosthetic that moved as naturally as a real hand or foot.

If such a technique could be implemented, it would revolutionize the treatment of lost limbs, drastically enhancing combat effectiveness that had been previously deemed irrecoverable. Moreover, even severely injured individuals like them could dream of making a full recovery.

“I’ll ask Majang personally later,” Evelyn offered.

“Just the offer is more than enough, haha!” Trainer chuckled lightly, but his expression soon turned serious.

“But first, we need to escape… Do you think that’s possible? It looks like things are pretty chaotic outside.”

Evelyn nodded solemnly, replying, “It seems Black Skull was just a decoy. There’s a real enemy behind all of this.”

“The real enemy…?”

“Do you have any ideas who it might be?”

“Now that you mention it, something does come to mind.”

“Please, tell me.”

“It’s not for certain. I didn’t get a clear look. After all, we were ‘ambushed’ ourselves.”

Evelyn’s eyes sharpened at his words.

“So, even you were caught in a counter-trap, Trainer?”

“That’s right. The problem is, those bastards knew the exact time of our arrival and the precise location of our descent.”

“……You think there’s a leak somewhere?”

“There’s no other explanation.”

Evelyn pressed her lips together tightly. There could only be one meaning behind Trainer’s words.

—There was a spy within their ranks.

And it was likely someone deeply embedded. The White Armored Dragon Cavalry’s operations were so secretive that even the members themselves were not informed until the day before the mission to maintain confidentiality.

“Moreover, they knew us all too well. It was as if they knew exactly how to take us down. They even had a clear understanding of our equipment.”

“…….”

There couldn’t be a clearer sign than this.

‘We walked right into the lion’s mouth without even realizing it.’

Evelyn gritted her teeth. The thought that her subordinates were almost harmed because of traitorous scum boiled her blood.

“Black Skull isn’t the real threat. While we were here, the ones we encountered were an organized group, impressive for a new faction, but they didn’t know much about Ragnar.”

“You mean a third force subdued you and Squad 5, then handed you over to Black Skull?”

“I can’t be certain, but that’s what it seems.”

“Hmm…”

“From what you’ve said, it sounds like that third force has now decided Black Skull has outlived its usefulness and intends to bury them with us.”

Trainer let out a small chuckle as he glanced up at the ceiling.

Rumble—

Even though the fortress had collapsed, the bombardment continued, causing the ceiling to tremble slightly, sending dust cascading down.

“They probably never imagined a shelter like this existed.”

However, it wouldn’t be long before they were discovered. The enemy would definitely come to finish them off soon.

“So, how did you manage to find this place? It’s underground, and in the chaos, it couldn’t have been easy to locate.”

Trainer shifted the topic slightly. Even if they were to counterattack, it seemed Evelyn’s group needed some rest. He wanted to distract them for a moment and clear their minds.

“It’s thanks to our new recruit.”

“Hm? A new recruit?”

Trainer tilted his head, confused, as he noticed the smile forming at the corners of Evelyn’s lips. She wasn’t the only one—Selperd, Arin, and even the other squad members were also grinning.

Following Evelyn’s gaze, Trainer turned his head. There stood a young boy, with a youthful face that suggested he had just earned the title of apprentice knight.

What did this kid do?

Trainer, puzzled, was about to ask when he suddenly realized that something was wrong with Theo. His complexion didn’t look good.

Just as he was about to say something—

Thud!

Theo suddenly staggered and collapsed to the side.

“Theo!”

“Hey! New recruit! Get a hold of yourself!”

Evelyn and the other squad members hurriedly rushed to Theo’s side.

* * *

“Hah… Hah…!”

Theo was drenched in cold sweat, breathing heavily and erratically. The squad quickly made space for him to lie down comfortably, loosening his armor and clothes so he could breathe easier.

“This kid… took down Bald Hammer, figured out the enemy ambush, and led you all to the shelter? In the middle of that chaos?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Evelyn confirmed.

“And during the Blossoming Ceremony, he broke Torkel’s record?”

“Yes.”

“Is that even possible…?”

“It seems so.”

“A monster, then.”

“Yes. A monster.”

After hearing the full story about Theo, Trainer shook his head in disbelief. He hadn’t heard any of the news, as he had been stationed outside during the Blossoming Ceremony.

A monster.

No other word could better describe him.

Despite his flower-like appearance, as if he couldn’t harm a petal, the boy had shattered expectations.

“But since he’s such a monster, we need to make sure he survives. Isn’t he a blessing to the White Armored Dragon Cavalry?”

Trainer rolled up his sleeves.

“Let me check on his condition for a moment.”

“We’re counting on you.”

Trainer had completed the medical course at the academy, making him the most skilled in medicine within the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.

After a brief examination, he finally spoke.

“Hmm…”

“Is there something wrong?” Evelyn asked, concerned.

“Captain! We must save him at all costs. He’s the one who saved me and Arin,” Selperd added, his voice urgent.

Trainer, noticing their worried expressions, calmly shook his head.

“There’s no need to worry that much. He’s simply exhausted. With some rest, he’ll recover fully.”

The squad members finally sighed in relief. It made sense. After facing Slow and finding the shelter amidst constant tension, it wasn’t surprising that Theo had been drained. They themselves had experienced similar fatigue at times.

“But…” Trainer paused.

“…?”

“Never mind. This is something that should be discussed after he wakes up.”

Though Evelyn felt uneasy, sensing that Trainer was hiding something, it was a relief that Theo soon regained consciousness.

“Are you okay, Theo?” Evelyn asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. I apologize for causing trouble.”

Theo bowed his head low in response. In truth, his condition had been poor ever since they arrived at the shelter, and eventually, he hadn’t been able to hold out any longer. Even now, his entire body ached.

The Shadow Demon Poison had flared up, allowing him to endure until now, but it had drained the last of his strength in the process. The most severe symptom was the headache.

‘The poison penetrated my brain, causing my cognitive abilities to expand… but the aftereffects are overwhelming.’

Theo felt as though he had become much ‘smarter’ than before. Most likely, this was due to the advancement of the Hatchling Synchronization, which directly linked to his brain. However, the problem was that this had massively increased the amount of information his brain processed from the outside world, resulting in excruciating headaches.

If left unchecked, the pain would only intensify.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

He needed to find a solution. Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible to escape Ed’s clutches when the time came.

“Hey, you.”

Just then, Trainer suddenly leaned in, his expression serious.

“How on earth did you open the Upper Dantian, something only top-tier experts are said to unlock?”