Several days passed before Ryn returned once more to the recruitment grounds.
The moment he arrived, the group of applicants who had been there before fell silent. Their gazes lingered on him, followed by hushed murmurs spreading through the crowd.
"That's him… the one they've been talking about,"
someone whispered.
"Isn't he Sir Richard's disciple?"
Voices murmured from every direction—countless words, all circling around his name.
Ryn paid them no mind. He walked straight through the onlookers and headed toward the notice board plastered with mission requests.
"Hey, Ryn!"
A bright, feminine voice called out.
He turned to see Alize approaching with an easy smile.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. I was just thinking how nice it would be to go on another mission with you."
Ryn returned the smile. But before he could respond, a deeper voice cut in.
"Ryn. You finally came."
Both Ryn and Alize turned toward the speaker to see Goran striding toward them at a brisk pace.
"At last, you're here. I've been waiting for you every single day."
Goran stopped in front of them, then glanced at Alize.
"Oh? You're here to wait for Ryn too, aren't you?"
"No."
Alize answered instantly.
"I only have two trials left before I pass. I'm not like you two who are just starting out. I'm not wasting my time waiting around. I want to clear this as quickly as possible so I can continue my studies as a Sage."
Then she turned back to Ryn.
"So, who are you going with?"
Ryn shifted his gaze to the many sheets of parchment posted on the board. One in particular caught his eye.
Required: 50 soldiers, 50 mages
Departure: In two days
Location: Southern Gate, morning
He studied it for a moment. Seeing that a few slots were still open, he wrote his name down and proceeded to collect his identification plate from the recruitment officer.
Goran and Alize quickly followed suit, signing their names and receiving their plates as well.
Once all three had finished, Alize spoke again.
"Ryn."
Her tone grew serious.
"The commander you just signed up under…
That's Lord Theron Mistward. You should be careful."
Ryn looked at her, puzzled.
Goran added quietly,
"Theron is far worse than Lord Dorian. Dorian is just jealous and loves to show off."
"But Theron… he's the kind of man who will do anything to get what he wants."
Ryn listened in silence. He didn't seem particularly shaken—he had already prepared himself to face people like that.
Still, he did not dismiss their warnings.
Not entirely.
"Thank you,"
Ryn said, then added,
"I'll be going now."
After that, he returned to Richard's residence. Before long, the morning of the appointed day arrived…
Ryn reached the meeting point precisely on time. Many trainee soldiers and mages had already gathered there.
The moment they noticed him, quiet whispers spread through the crowd.
Ryn remained still, waiting in silence.
Not long after, Goran and Alize arrived.
"Hey, you've been here long?"
Alize asked as soon as she saw him.
Ryn smiled faintly.
"Just a little while."
Goran let out a soft laugh and teased him,
"Same as always. If you can't handle it, feel free to hide behind me."
He was clearly trying to lighten the mood.
"Form ranks!"
A commanding shout rang out from behind them.
Theron Mistward arrived on horseback, accompanied by his second and third deputies. He immediately ordered all soldiers to line up and prepare.
As the horses passed by Ryn, Theron's eyes slid toward him—
a vile, twisted smile curling across his face.
Once the commander and his two aides took their positions at the front, the order to march was given. The hundred-man unit began moving south at once.
By midday, the army reached a narrow mountain pass. Fortunately, the mission site was not far from Central, so the journey had been relatively brief.
Theron halted his horse and ordered the troops to form formation.
But before issuing any further commands, he suddenly fell silent.
The soldiers exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was happening.
Then Theron spoke.
"Heh… it seems we have a celebrity with us today."
The moment those words left his mouth, nearly every gaze in the formation turned toward Ryn at once.
Theron continued, his voice laced with mockery.
"Ryn Ardent.
The sole disciple of Sir Richard—
the legendary hero who stopped Arthur, the Great King, from destroying this city."
He paused deliberately before adding,
"Well now… if the master is that extraordinary, just how powerful could the disciple be?"
Ryn remained silent, though within his heart lingered a quiet curiosity about Arthur—the man who had once wielded this sword before it came into his hands.
"If you possess even a fraction of your master's skill,"
Theron continued,
"then a few lower levels of the Calami Cavern shouldn't be too much for you, should they?"
"Hah hah hah hah!"
Theron laughed openly before speaking again.
"But then again, I've heard stories about you as well.
A small man swinging a sword far too large for his frame with surprising finesse."
His gaze drifted to Ryn's blade.
"Honestly, that sword is oversized for you.
But never mind—I don't particularly care about that."
Theron urged his horse forward until it stopped directly in front of Ryn. His eyes gleamed with cunning amusement as he spoke.
"Heh… I'm starting to feel rather curious.
I wonder if the rumors about you are actually true."
"Hi hi hi…"
"Alright,"
Theron went on in a casual tone.
"I suppose there's no need to bother with complicated formations today."
He chuckled under his breath.
"Let's just march straight into their nest."
With that, Theron spurred his horse forward, his aides following close behind. The entire unit of soldiers moved in after them, entering the narrow rocky pass.
Goran and Alize pushed through the ranks and hurried over to Ryn.
Goran let out a heavy sigh.
"I knew it… I knew it was going to turn out like this."
Alize, clearly worried, spoke up at once.
"You're alright, aren't you?"
Ryn gave a faint smile and nodded.
"That man…"
Alize muttered with a look of disgust.
"He's absolutely repulsive."
Then she turned to Ryn.
"You need to be extremely careful.
I'm certain he's plotting something vile."
The army continued deeper into the rocky corridor. After passing through the narrow passage and walking a short distance beyond it, a naturally formed cavern came into view—
a towering, ominous cave standing before them.
Theron reined in his horse and raised a hand, signaling the army to halt.
"My, my, my…"
he said in an affected tone.
"Organizing a proper formation in a narrow rocky pass like this is terribly difficult."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Ryn.
"I daresay it may be a little beyond my capabilities."
Those eyes stared at Ryn without the slightest attempt at concealment.
"Well?"
he continued.
"Would you care to lend me a hand?"
Theron smiled.
"Because if we were to fight here as we are, I might just lead this entire army to defeat…
and get us all killed."
He paused, the smile never leaving his face.
"But if you were to help me, even just a little…"
His eyes remained locked onto Ryn, brimming with something vile.
Ryn was growing irritated by Theron's endless prattle. He replied in a calm, level voice,
"If it doesn't violate military regulations, then I'm willing to assist."
"No, no, no,"
Theron quickly cut in.
"It doesn't violate anything."
He swept his gaze across the army, as if announcing it to everyone present.
"In battle, the commanding officer has the right to issue orders, does he not?"
Then he added,
"Only the inner chamber of the Womb Chamber is forbidden to you under the Central Council's laws."
Before he even finished speaking, Theron turned his stare back to Ryn, malice burning in his eyes.
"But everywhere else…"
He grinned widely.
"My word is absolute."