BXBX NOVEL Chapter 191: Help
He's surprised, not because he slept that long but because it's too short. He felt like he slept for a month at least, but he supposes that the time flow within his consciousness, especially with his encounter with the ghost of the Godking, was vastly different from the real world.
His Squad's fight against an Archlich was known by everybody in this camp. They also saw the sun he made so there goes his low profile too.
While they're fighting for survival, the other squads who were stuck in the same situation as them, actually wanted to rush out and help them. However, under strict army orders, they were forced to return to the base and could only hope that Squad #1 made it.
Team Elric was actually the one that alarmed the Eastern Army Camp of the incoming horde. They returned the same day that Cedric and his squad left for patrol. In fact, it's the horde that delayed their return.
"Are my batchmates still here, then? Cause technically, our mandatory service was over." He asked as Erica fed him some fruits.
"They're still here," Chrissy replied. "All are safe thanks to you. I think Intructor Orion was just waiting for you to wake up before taking all of you...well, us, back to the academy."
"Are you sure you feel fine?" Erica asked in a worried tone. "Something happened when you woke up which didn't make sense to us."
"I'm okay." Cedric smiled as he squeezed her hand comfortingly. "You already used your diagnostic spells on me, didn't you? And you didn't find any problems, so I'm fine. In fact, I never felt better."
"As for what happened earlier, it's just a breakthrough of a technique." Cedric lied casually, "I've been suppressing it since I wasn't really in a proper place to have it safely. But I guess being unconscious for three days loosened my suppression, causing it to happen like that. It's no big deal, really. I'm fine."
Both girls seemingly accepted his excuse. Cedric could only apologize inwardly for lying to their faces. Even though these girls were really close to him, he was still uncomfortable at the idea of telling them his secrets just yet, so he could only do this.
Maybe in the future, he'd have the courage to tell them, and hopefully, by then, they could forgive him for doing this.
Bam!!
The door suddenly swung open, surprising the girls. Cedric wasn't surprised because deep down, he felt that coming. That was weird considering that he doesn't even have his field of senses on like the usual. And yes, it is not on, not even at its minimal state. His eyes are functioning like normal eyes and it's tripping him out a little bit.
"You're awake." Silverwing stated as he marched towards Cedric. His face was marred with relied and anxiety for some reason. Cedric could feel that from his in waves.
"Yes, Captain Silverwing. Do you require my reports now, or is there something else you need me for?" He asked the fox-eyed captain.
"The latter actually." Silverwing replied. "I know this sounds rude and inconsiderate considering how terrible your time here has been but I really need your assistance on something private...urgently, as well."
"Sure, let me get dressed for a bit." Cedric readily agreed as he got off the bed.
"Cedric! You just woke up a few minutes ago. You shouldn't even be standing!" Erica scolded heavily, ignoring the Knight Captain within the room.
"Relax. I'm fine. See?" Cedric flexed his muscles without any sort of difficulty, "Not a scratch left or anything. Besides, I've slept long enough, I need some exercise anyway. I'll be fine, don't worry. Besides, Captain Silverwing will be with me.
I trust him."
Erica and Chrissy didn't even bother hiding their displeased gazes towards the Knight Captain - who could only smile nervously. However, his anxiety prevailed more than the trepidation he felt from the girls so he could only ignore them.
Cedric wore his uniform quickly. He moved as if he had never been hospitalized from overexhaustion, which was admirable but also weird. Once he's ready, he gives the girls a kiss on the cheeks before nodding towards Silverwing.
Chrissy and Erica didn't want to let him go but the Knight Captain outranked them so they could only feel dissatisfied. They swore that if Cedric returned injured from whatever it was he was taking him, they would raise hell in the camp.
They left the room and Silverwing led him towards the winding corridors. They reached a certain spot in the room that was heavily fortified and secure. Silverwing faced Cedric and said:
"I will seal your senses for 5 seconds and take you to where we're supposed to go. This is protocol, after all a cadet like you shouldn't even be anywhere near this place. This is just a special occasion."
"Understood." Cedric nodded before closing his eyes.
He then felt several taps on his body. All of his senses were sealed which felt horrible but to his overwhelming surprise, he discovered that the sealing only affected his vision for a split second before getting resisted.
Still, Cedric controlled himself and suppressed the urge to look around. He didn't want to raise any alarms, especially on his last day here. Still, his vision allowed him to passively see glimpses of his surroundings even with his eyes closed.
Silverwing carried him like a sack of potatoes. Had all his senses been sealed, he wouldn't have known any of this. He took them through winding hallways until eventually, they entered a spacious room.
The Knight Captain put him down and tapped his body. Cedric shook and felt the rest of his senses returning to him, but he stayed still.
"Ah, ah..." Cedric vocalized, testing if he could speak now since that was also sealed earlier. "May I open my eyes now?"
"Yes, yes you may." Silverwing confirmed.
Cedric opened his eyes to survey the room, but that's just for keeping up appearances. He already knew that they entered a private laboratory and saw a patient lying at the very center of the room.
The patient was an old man. He looked frail at the very moment but if you look closely, there's sheer valiance and authority radiating from his body even when he's unconscious.
Unfortunately, the several tubes attached to machines that monitored his health really contrasted with the aura he was releasing.
Cedric then saw something that caused him to frown. His golden eyes glowed ever so slightly and he was able to take a closer look.
"In front of you, is Lord Commander Banestar of the 101st Battalion," Silverwing announced next to him. "There's another patient who's suffering just like him, and it's Ex-Commander Hermit. He's in the adjacent room."
"When you gave me the reports from your first patrol and the secrets you hid on a rune, I was surprised." Silverwing stated, "I was alarmed to discover a Nightmare Worm roaming this close to the walls."
"Because of that, I sought the Lord Commander out to make plans. And I showed him your rune. Unlike me though, he discovered your real message. He had seen the way you hinted at the leylines and pieced the puzzle together."
"Unexpectedly, you allowed us to uncover a nefarious plot brewing right under our noses. A very good job, by the way."
"Deciding that it's worth to be investigated, Lord Commander Banestar set out to a certain location, dragging Ex-Commander Hermit with him for backup. We had no idea what truly transpired over there, but from our educated guess, both of them must've likely met a Demon King."
"Sloth..." Cedric suddenly interjected, causing Silverwing's eyes to widen. "They encountered Demon King Sloth, most likely. But not personally, I think because if they, none of them would return intact...an avatar, a clone, or a relic that has Sloth's spiritual signature...one of those, I think."
"How can you tell?" Silverwing sounded urgent.
"My senses have always been special." Cedric replied, "Even more so when I became a Sage. I just had a breakthrough when I woke up earlier so my senses are going haywire."
"I could feel the Sin of Sloth eroding on the Lord Commander's willpower and resolve. He's holding on, but his body's deeply affected. He's mentally awake, but his body's in deep slumber because of this. I'm pretty certain that this also applies to Ex-Commander Hermit."
Cedric had no qualms revealing the fact that he was a Sage here because he knew that the Knight Captains and above already knew. It's not much of a secret anymore.
"You want me to cure him?" Cedric asked the forlorn-looking Knight Captain.
"If you can, that would be incredibly appreciated. I promise that if you can at least return his consciousness, you'll be heavily rewarded. Our 101st Battalion doesn't lack resources." Silverwing readily requested and offered.
Cedric rolled up his sleeves and said: "I'll try my best. I don't know if this will work right away since this is the first time I'd be doing this, but I promise that whatever I'm doing will never hurt the Lord Commander. It will only help. Is that agreeable with you?"
"Yes. Yes, just please try. Our battalion couldn't be without him." Silverwing pleaded.
"Okay, do stand back a little bit."