'Turbulent times are approaching. But, it's hard to say that the circ.u.mstances favor Amaharpe and its allies.'
Amaharpe and its allies were forced to retreat from the Demilitarization Belt due Ekquilore's appearance.
It was not as though Ekquilore could not be defeated; however, with the support of the Tempest allied forces, Ekquilore's total erasure was not guaranteed. After all, if one did not completely eradicate a Shadahi, they would merely return stronger and gain a powerful immunity to whatever previously injured them.
But, that did not mean that Amaharpe and its allies would allow Ekquilore and the Tempest allied forces to continue to do as they please within the Demilitarization Belt.
"Fortunately, not everything is bad news. While it's true that General Solomon and the other representatives are better off avoiding a direct confrontation with the Shadahi, we are not necessarily out of options. I cannot give you any specifics; however, I will say this—the Shadahi and the damage they've inflicted to the Mortal Realm has never been forgotten. Not for a single moment." Aurie stated.
'As expected, the kingdoms still have their closely held secrets.'
While Aurie did not go into details, Izroth roughly understood what she was hinting at with her words.
In simple terms, the kingdoms refused to be blindsided a second time by the Shadahi. Therefore, it was likely that they made some special preparations to combat the Shadahi or a similar species, should they reemerge one day. However, as to what those methods were or whether their level of effectiveness would prove helpful—this remained a mystery to Izroth.
But, one thing was for sure. It was only a matter of time before those answers revealed themselves for the world to see.
…
Ten minutes passed, and the meeting between Solomon and the representatives reached its conclusion.
The moment the meeting ended, Aurie led Izroth and Menerva to Solomon's command tent located near the center of the camp.
Aurie wasted no time explaining the situation to Solomon as the three stood before the General.
After listening to Aurie's report, Solomon released a deep sigh as he massaged his temples.
"Commander Aurie, Captain Izroth—I am beginning to think that you two are conspiring to increase the difficulty of my workload," Solomon said as his gaze landed on Menerva.
"That was not our intention, General Solomon," Aurie replied with a straight face.
"Commander Aurie is simply speaking on my behalf. I hope that General Solomon does not find fault with the Commander over this." Izroth commented.
"Trust me; I'm well aware of that fact. You two are naturally drawn to trouble. Though I can't say, that isn't the case for me as well as of late." Solomon stated as he looked at Izroth.
He then continued, "Captain Izroth, I can grant your request, but are you really sure it's something you want? If anything goes wrong, neither myself nor Commander Aurie can step in to protect you. Knowing that, are you still fine with carrying the burden on your shoulders?"
"I do not see it as a burden but rather as an opportunity. And, when it comes to carrying opportunity on one's shoulders—would you refuse, General Solomon?" Izroth commented.
"No, I suppose I would not. However, your outlook is a double-edged sword, Captain. It's best that you remember the opportunity that sits upon your shoulder is more often than not accompanied by ambivalence. I just hope there does not come a point where you lose sight of the bigger picture." Solomon said solemnly.
"I can assure you—there has never existed a moment where the bigger picture has left my sights," Izroth responded calmly.
"Then…" Solomon rose to his feet.
"I hereby assign Menerva to the General Support Unit with the rank of Soldier 10th Class. After being briefed by myself and the War Intelligence Group, she will be under the direct supervision of the General Support Unit's Captain Izroth. Commander Aurie, you will act as a witness and, if ever required, will give a truthful account of what has transpired here today. Is that understood?"
"Yes, General!" Aurie answered as she straightened her posture and raised a right fist to the center of her c.h.e.s.t.
Aurie glanced towards Izroth and Menerva with a meaningful gaze as she lightly cleared her throat.
"Yes, General." Izroth and Menerva followed Aurie's actions, both understanding her intentions.
"Commander, Captain—you two are dismissed. Soldier 10th Class Menerva, you will remain behind while I send for an Agent from the War Intelligence Group." Solomon declared.
"Understood," Menerva responded indifferently.
She was not surprised that Solomon wanted her to undergo a debriefing process. Even if the information she could provide was limited to an extent due to her rank, Solomon could not risk overlooking even the smallest detail with the upcoming events. Of course, Izroth understood this point as well.
"General, before we depart, if it is not out of line, I would like to know how the matter with Dolos Jestal was settled," Aurie spoke out.
"I suppose you'll find out soon enough either way. Dolos Jestal has been officially removed from his position in the war alliance. He is to be transported back to the kingdom of Proximus along with the delegate's escort group. When Dolos returns to Proximus, he will undergo a trial. As for his ultimate fate—it is in the hands of the Proximus Key Assembly." Solomon explained.
"The Key Assembly?" Aurie frowned.
The Proximus Key Assembly handled major crimes and atrocities committed against or within the kingdom of Proximus. The members of the Key Assembly typically consisted of high-ranking nobles and a few honoraries.
In the end, anyone who prosecuted Dolos would run the risk of offending the Jestal family. In addition, the Jestal family was not the type to leave things to chance. Without a doubt, they already made various preparations to increase or perhaps even ensure Dolos' release!
'They certainly wasted no time. Though it's much earlier than I initially suspected.'
Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. He predicted that the Jestal family would make a move sooner or later. But, he had to admit, they acted much faster than he anticipated.
"I know what you're thinking, Commander; however, it is already out of my hands. The circ.u.mstances are unquestionably unique, but Amaharpe and Proximus have an extradition agreement in place that has existed for more than a century. I tried doing what I can to prolong the inevitable, but now—we can only hope that the Key Assembly lives up to their reputation and dispenses justice." Solomon stated as he laced his fingers together.
"…Indeed, we can only hope. Excuse me, General. I will return to my post." Aurie replied before she turned around and walked towards the command tent's exit.
Aurie knew that Solomon must have tried his best to prevent Dolos' fate from being decided by the Key Assembly. However, even Prince Yan, with his full authority, could not go against the extradition agreement, let alone a lone General of the War Brigade.
As Aurie took her leave, Izroth also turned to exit the tent. But, before doing so, he stopped at Menerva's side.
"I'll be waiting outside. So, take your time." Izroth said unhurriedly.
Menerva gave a small nod in response.
…
Approximately fifteen minutes later…
Izroth stood outside the command tent as he checked through his system interface.
When he left the command tent, everything inside turned dead silent. But, that was not strange considering the number of important matters usually discussed within the command tent. Naturally, it was protected by a strong magic barrier that prevented outside ears and eyes from prying. However, Izroth did not remain idle.
At the moment, he was monitoring the status of his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence to see if any changes had occurred as a result of the living armor devouring the Abyssal Dragon Lord's Scales.
'Still no changes. I rechecked the system logs, and the Overeater effect activated without question. Then, why hasn't the effect reached its end even though-'
Just as Izroth pondered what was going on with his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence, his train of thought was interrupted by an abrupt stream of system alerts.
〈System Alert: The effect of «Overeater» has ended!〉
〈System Alert: Integrating…〉
〈System Alert: Conceptualization of the living armor «Abyssal Dragon Lord's Scales» has formed!〉
〈System Alert: The «Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence» has evolved!〉
〈System Alert: The skill ??? for the «Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence» has been unlocked! Generating skill…〉
〈System Alert: The skill «Immortal Persona» is now available for use!〉
〈System Alert: Link to the «Immortal Persona: ???» has been established!〉
〈System Alert: Link to the «Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss» has been established!〉
