Chapter 47: War!

Chapter 47: War! He arrived at the large counter and just before he could call out to her, a recruit he hadn’t noticed until now, popped up in front of him.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Nothing, I’m here for her!" Kieran said and Leora’s head turned in his direction after hearing his voice.

"Kieran!!" She half screamed, startling the recruit beside her, the boring look that was previously on her face was nowhere to be seen again.

’Hmm?’ Kieran on the other hand had no idea why she looked so excited to see him.

"Hmm? You don’t look excited to see me. Didn’t you miss me or you haven’t been coming to the library?" She asked after moving closer to him.

’Miss her? She must be joking!’

Kieran thought with a strange expression on his face as he looked at her.

"Why do you have that expression on your face? You really didn’t miss your big sister?" She asked again, with a sad look on her face.

"Cut it, I didn’t come here to crack jokes" Kieran said with a serious expression.

"Tch! Cold as always!" She said, dropping the act.

This was more like her and he finally felt a little comfortable again.

’To think of it, everyone seems to want to be my big bro or sis’ Kieran thought remembering how Jake liked to address him. This was cut short though when she asked him a question.

"Alright, what do you want?"

"I wanted to ask some questions, for clarity sake" Kieran added the last part looking at the recruit at the side who was just watching their interaction with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Alright, let me show you around!" She said, understanding Kieran’s concerns about the other recruit.

With this, they both took a path leading into the library. Before the entered, Kieran swiped his watch on a stand at the side of the passage way, paying the fee for using the library.

"How long?" Leora asked.

"Three days," Kieran said. He planned to spend most of his time in the library.

Leora just stayed silent, she pretty much had an idea of Kieran’s obsession with information, not that it was a bad thing. Well, it hadn’t led to anything bad so far.

"Alright, this is good enough. What did you want to ask?" She asked after they had gotten to a spot with less eyes around.

"The second phase is about to start." Kieran said.

"Hmm, I heard about it. So?" She asked Kieran, her brows raised at him.

"I need info"

"What do you think this is? I only helped you so far because I found you interesting. Don’t think that I’d answer your questions just because you asked!" Loera said to Kieran with a serious tone.

’She’s right! What was I even thinking?!’ Kieran thought to himself.

"But.... If you call me big sis, I might just tell you something, "Leora said with a playful expression.

"Big sis!" Kieran immediately replied without hesitation catching her by surprise.

He wasn’t in the position to be picky. He could call her that no matter how many times she wanted so long he got his results. It was just a name after all.

"That...was... You really are something else, aren’t you?! Alright, I tell you something." She said to Kieran who still had the same cold look on his face.

"Well, where should I start?! The cold hell..." She went on to explain to Kieran somethings she felt might be useful to him.

’That was unexpected!’ Kieran thought as he watched as Leora’s back slowly vanished from his view.

He stood there for a few minutes, hand on his chin contemplating deeply on what she had just told him.

Moments later, he finally moved away from that spot, deeper into the library, his figure obscured by the tall shadows cast by the bookshelves.

......

While all this was being decided, Kieran was busy soaking himself as much as he could with anything and everything he thought useful in the library.

In another part of the camp; the mountain top where they had their daily drills, Jake and Ruby stood in silence, waiting.

"When did they say they were going to show up?" Jake asked

"Soon" Ruby answered softly.

Just when she said that, some other figures arrived at the spot.

"Jake!"

"Ruby!"

Sabrina said, nodding her head in greeting. Behind her were several recruits who just stood by, ignoring the presence of Jake and Ruby making the atmosphere tense.

"We are all here!" Sabrina said.

"Let’s get this over with then!" A sour voice was heard from the side. In that direction stood Richard who had an equally sour look on his face.

"Where should we start from?" Liam asked

"Let’s start from with the incidents in the mission that just ended" Jake said gaining a few hostile gazes which he only ignored.

"Hmm" Sabrina hummed in agreement.

"The mission ended prematurely and I’m sure everyone of you can see the movements of the camp and feel the tension in the air. It’s possible a war might break out...No! It’s certain, it’s just a matter of when it breaks out!" Jake said to the crowd.

"Why should we be concerned? We just made into the second phase if our training here, we none of our business even if a war breaks out." Jordan, the blonde haired recruit spoke up

"I agree, it’s not like we are going to get sent out to fight either. I don’t see the point in discussing this either!" Another recruit said.

"Heh, fools!" Richard said just loud enough for everyone to hear causing the blonde to frown and the other recruit spoke angrily.

"What did you just say?"

"Fools!" Richard repeated.

"If you watched well enough, you’d know that it isn’t going to be a short war. You can tell from their preparations. Seriously, how useless could your pawns be?" He asked the other noble with a look filled with disdain.

"You’re both right! The war won’t be long and for now, we won’t be enlisted; not until we have been trained enough. Whether or not we still get to fight, depends on how long the war lasts. That isn’t the main concern here."

Ruby said, intervening between the two who looked like they could jump at each other at any moment.

"Correct! What matters is the phase we about to enter." Sabrina’s voice spread.

"As you all know, once we enter this phase, the real reason why we are here, to train, truly starts" She said.

"And that means no more holding back! The agreement has ended!" Ethan added in a joyful tone, but his words only made them silent, the tension and hostility in the air amplifying.

Richard smiled and said with a sinister tone,

"Kieran, that bastard. I want him!"

"Not possible!"

"No!"

"I’m sorry!"

Jake, Ruby and Sabrina said at the same time, making a huge frown appear on Richard’s face.

"What did you mean?"

"I don’t know about the rest, but he has the protection of the old man in the kitchen and I also stand for him" Jake said in a serious tone.

"You’d risk your family for that piece of shit?!" Richard threatened.

"I’m not risking anything Scarlet! You are free to try though!" Jake said with cold voice, his eyes darkening; a wild aura along with his bloodlust flowing out in waves, silencing Richard and the rest.

"Hmm? Interesting, I’m also interested in this kid" Ethan said with a mischievous look

"Don’t joke around Ethan!" Sabrina said sternly.

"Tch! My mood has been successfully ruined. Let’s end this. I’m leaving" Jake said in a sour tone as he walked past the rest leaving them behind.

"Hmph!" Richard snorted, before also taking his leave.

With this, the remaining recruits took their leave and Sabrina took a short look at Ruby before taking her leave too.

"Soon...." Ruby muttered to herself when she was all alone on the mountain top

....

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the camp.

In a small hall, sat several figures with powerful auras. All of them sat in silence, facing the figure on the screen in front of them.

"This is concerning!" One of them said, breaking off the dreadful science in the room.

"True! Who would have thought we would find one of the Kretas this way, occupied by beasts!" Another one spoke up, his voice full of spite.

"Why haven’t we moved already?! This meeting shouldn’t even be holding!" A third person spoke up.

"Calm down. The Kretas is situated just above a Graphim mine. Besides, it’s flooded with beasts and not just any type. The scouting teams have made reports of sightings of S type beasts." Ivan Noah the commander of the camp which Kieran and the inherent recruits and seen km the orientation day spoke.

"So? You surely aren’t asking us to sit here and do nothing are you?!" The third person who had spoken earlier asked in a deep tone.

"Of course not. The preparations have been made, the reports have been sent to the headquarters and we have the green light. I called this meeting not to talk about much, just to inform you." Ivan said

"So, it leads once more to war?!" The first person to speak earlier asked no one exactly.

"Do you think they will show up this time?" The second person spoke once again with a slight laugh.

"It’d be even better if they did" the third man said, an intense bloodlust filling the room.

"Watch it! You’re no longer a soldier who fights on the battle field!" Ivan said, a more oppressive aura emanating from his being.

At the side of the room stood instructor Selena and the familiar instructor with the mask.

’How long as it been?’ She thought to herself, looking down at her hands that had started to shake, not out of fear but excitement as a smile creeped up her face.

’Hmm....’ The masked instructor thought at the side observing everything that was happening in the room.

"I called you here for one reason and one reason alone." Ivan said

"Get ready!!...."

"We are going to war!" His aura suffocating those in the room.