Stoney asked, "Lane, are you okay?"
Lane replied in a low voice, "Yes, I'm okay."
Then Stoney turned around and ordered everyone to leave the tent. The soldiers went outside one by one. After the last person also left the tent, Stoney pulled a chair over, sat down, and began to speak.
"Lane, who are you...?"
Lane paused for a moment. He understood that this question was not being asked casually.
As an answer, he said, "I'm a mercenary. Why did you ask?"
Stoney frowned.
"I'm not asking that. I'm asking more about which family you belong to. At first, when I saw your white hair, I thought it was something different, but that wasn't the real issue."
Lane began to sweat.
This man knows who I am. If I lie, he can torture me.
In the end, he told him who he was.
"I'm Lane Skydrane. Why did you ask?"
Stoney immediately asked, "Duchy, or the royal family?"
Lane answered in a low voice, "Royal."
Hearing this, Stoney suddenly burst into laughter.
"So you're Kaelric's son, huh?"
Lane was surprised. Then he immediately asked, "Do you know my father?"
Stoney lightly nodded his head.
"Of course I know him. We went to Aurelis Grand Academy together. We were close friends. Your father was a very proud man. Back in the academy, he was always getting into fights. There was almost no one who wasn't in love with that man. Later he got married and calmed down a lot. He became a father, he loved Selara very much. He stopped meeting with us much anymore because he said he would spend time with his children... Anyway."
Lane lowered his head. In a sad voice, he said, "But the thing that killed him in war was also his pride."
At those words, Stoney paused briefly. Then, in a puzzled manner, he asked, "Kid, then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the kingdom right now?"
Without lifting his eyes, Lane answered, "I have a goal. Until I reach that goal, I can't return to the castle."
Stoney asked again, "And what is your goal?"
Lane remained silent.
Stoney did not press further.
"Alright, I won't question it too much. Let's come to the main issue. Lane, you took my seal and defended the castle."
Lane smiled faintly.
"Yes. Some things happened."
After taking a deep breath, Stoney spoke.
"I won't say anything about that because you defended the castle. Also, I'm making you a captain now. I'll also give a thousand soldiers under your command. You'll train your own unit yourself."
When Lane heard this, he smiled faintly.
"Alright, commander."
Then Stoney spoke again.
"That sword strike... That dark energy was very strange. It looked more like a black energy. I've never seen such a type of mana until now. How did you do that, Lane?"
Lane answered this with only a single sentence. Because he also did not know exactly how he had brought out such an energy.
"Sir, I only condensed my mana."
Stoney's eyes widened.
"You condensed your mana... And with only three-star power?"
Lane gave a short nod.
"Yes."
After remaining silent for a moment, Stoney spoke again.
"Lane, do you know? Mana condensation normally starts at the peak of five stars, even after the threshold of six stars. Under normal conditions, for you to do that is something close to impossible."
Hearing this, Lane was surprised. Then he thought to himself:
So that's how it is, huh... By spending time in the village, I missed the things I should have known about the world.
Stoney stepped a little closer and fixed his eyes on Lane.
"Would you like to become my student...?"
The tent was suddenly swallowed by silence. No sound came from Lane. He was trying to weigh the pros and cons in his head. Because for him, this was a question that came far too suddenly.
Stoney slightly lowered his head.
"If you don't want to, you can say so. But you'll miss a lot."
Lane smiled in surprise.
"No, sir, I want to become your student. It's just that you asked so suddenly, so that's why I got confused."
Stoney laughed loudly.
"Alright then. From now on, I'll teach you how to use long weapons."
Lane, saying, "Greetings to the master," tried to raise his arms and stand in a posture of respect, but he could not do it. Stoney immediately grabbed his arms and stopped him.
"There's no need. You're my student now. From now on, wherever I go, you'll follow me."
Lane answered shortly.
"Alright."
Then, in a pleading tone, he asked for the device that was in his bag and that his master had left for him. Even though Stoney did not understand why he wanted it, he handed the device to him.
Then he spoke:
"If there's nothing else, let me leave you alone for a while."
Lane lightly nodded his head.
"Alright, master, thank you."
With that, Stoney left the tent.
Lane immediately released his mana and checked the surroundings. After making sure there was no one beside the tent, he connected to Morris with the device.
"Morris, can you hear my voice...?"
At first no sound came. Then, after about a minute, voices began to rise from the device.
"Yes, I can hear you, young master."
Lane asked, "Morris, how are things there? Is everything alright?"
Morris immediately answered, "My lord, at the moment everything is in place. The orphaned children are being trained the way you wanted. We have now gathered more than one thousand five hundred children. New people have also joined us, and oaths have been made to all of them. We are also almost finishing the construction of the main building."
Lane continued his questions.
"Is there any new information from the empires?"
Morris's voice became a little more serious.
"My lord, in the Solarin Empire, people are being kidnapped in the back streets of the cities. Especially, this is happening a lot in Solarin. There are also unusual movements in the Holy Empire. According to the information coming from the agents, many churches are holding rituals at night."
When Lane heard this, he became angry, but he did not break his silence. He simply continued to listen.
"What else is there?" he asked.
Morris continued speaking.
"My lord, for now there is no unusual development in the Vardane and Ardent Empires. Only the military preparations have begun to intensify. The Zareshan Empire, on the other hand, is increasing its stock reserves."
This picture seemed highly suspicious to Lane. One side was increasing its stockpiles, the other side was increasing the number of soldiers. All of these could seem unimportant on their own, but when they came together, they were giving far too obvious a sign.
Without thinking, Lane gave the order.
"Morris, increase our stock reserves threefold. These are signs of war preparations."
Without hesitation, Morris answered, "That is true, young master. I was going to consult you about that as well. Also, regarding the other task you gave me, I researched the old sources. I obtained some findings about the demonic creatures."
Upon this, Morris began to tell Lane the information he had found. Lane listened carefully. After what was told ended, his face hardened even more.
"So these bastards only become weak at certain hours..." he said in a cold voice. "Then it seems we have to slaughter them while they're eating."
Then, after a short pause, he continued.
"Morris, I'm in the city of Reyna right now. The Saintess came here. They performed the ritual just like you said. I was there too. Inside the church, they tore apart the priests and ate them. The cardinals and the Saint... they have turned into demonic creatures."
When Morris heard this, he experienced one of the greatest shocks of his life.
"Young master, this is impossible..." he said. "If the Saintess had died, the sky would have lit up. Nothing like that happened. Then how...?"
Lane spoke in a way that confirmed Morris's thought.
"Yes, it didn't happen. But there is a possibility that she was kidnapped. She can be in two places. Either she is being kept in the Holy Empire, or she was taken to the demonic lands. The second possibility is stronger."
Morris immediately responded, "But we cannot ignore the Holy Empire possibility. Do not forget, the farther away the Saintess remains, the weaker her power becomes. Besides, why would they kidnap her? Don't they need the Saintess? But wait, the current fake Saintess is most likely getting her power from the relics. Otherwise, it is impossible for demonic creatures to use holy power."
Lane told Morris everything that had happened from the very beginning. He clearly conveyed what he had seen, what he had felt, and the conclusions he had reached. As the conversation deepened, the matter began to take on an even darker shape. There was no longer only hidden rituals or a few depraved creatures. Something much greater had infiltrated all the way into the empires and was moving forward carefully.
Just as Morris was about to speak again, his voice was suddenly cut off. Then another voice rose from the device.
"Lane, where are you? How are you...?"
The moment Lane heard that voice, he recognized it.
"I'm fine, Sara. How are you...?"
After taking a short breath, Sara answered, "I'm fine."
Then, just like Morris, she began to explain the latest situation. She spoke about the state of the soldiers, conveyed the developments in the city, and said that order was being maintained for now. Lane listened to her silently.
After Sara finished her report, the tone of the conversation changed. Now the two of them were speaking more privately.
At the end, Sara asked, "Lane, when are you going to come here?"
Lane fell silent for a short while. Then, in a calm but clear voice, he answered, "It's still early for now. But I'll return as soon as possible. I still have things here that I need to finish."
After the conversations ended, Lane began to analyze the situation.
So preparations are being made right now, huh... Then the possibility of a huge war breaking out within the next ten years is very high. Until then, I need to expand my army urgently. I also need to tell Master about what is happening. This war benefits the demonic creatures a lot... These emperors have probably gone insane.
After that, he went to rest. When the next morning came, Lane's wounds were continuing to heal rapidly. Stoney came to see him every day. Three days later, Lane had already recovered. During every day he remained in bed, he was using the device his master had given him to communicate and gather intelligence.
Finally, he left the tent and went to see Stoney. Stoney was discussing something in the main building that was still under reconstruction. When he saw Lane, he sent away the soldiers around him, and the two of them were left alone.
Stoney asked, "Why did you come here?"
Lane answered directly, "Master, there is something I need to speak with you about privately. And it is very important."
Stoney's face became serious.
"I'm listening."
At that, Lane created a soundproof barrier with his magic. When Stoney saw this, his expression became even more severe.
"Master, I want you to strengthen me quickly. I need to reach five stars in aura as soon as possible. Also, I heard that there is a blacksmith here. I want to ask where he is."
Frowning, Stoney asked, "Why are you trying to improve so quickly? I know the blacksmith too. I'll take you to him."
Without wasting time, Lane spoke.
"Master, the Western Continent is in a terrible state right now. The kingdoms and empires are corrupted. Most likely, you are aware of this as well."
Stoney became angry at once.
"Hey, child, you shouldn't speak like that. What do you mean corrupted?"
At that, Lane explained some things. He spoke about the demonic beings that had infiltrated the continent and about how some of them were sitting in very high positions. As Stoney heard these things, he began to grow angrier. Lane continued speaking, but he did not say that the Saint in the Holy Empire was actually a high-level demonic creature.
In the end, Stoney took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
"Fine. From now on, I'm going to train you as if I'm torturing you. You'll train for sixteen hours a day. You'll develop your body through physical training."
With a determined expression in his eyes, Lane answered, "Alright, master."
Then he extended his sword forward.
"Master, my sword doesn't suit me. I need a weapon that I can use more comfortably. Take a look at this Dragon Sword."
Lane extended the Dragon Sword in his hand toward Stoney.