Chapter 196 - Making plans

“This is the way to live,” Shindo said, refilling his glass of wine with a smile.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Adion said. Looking around the luxurious restaurant, he couldn’t help but feel it was far too wasteful to spend his money like this.

“Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it,” Shindo said with a smile.

I guess it’s pretty nice. It should be fine to enjoy the moment once in a while. If I only spend my time training and regaining my memories, I’ll surely collapse sooner or later.

“But seriously, don’t you have any work to do?” Adion asked. Shindo hadn’t left Adion’s side since they arrived in Gekon the day before. Teruro had to go back to the senba early in the morning to help, and Adion was sure Shinod had similar responsibilities.

“Don’t worry about it,” Shindo said, “The trouble that will come will be worth it. Nothing can be worth staying on the senba when I have a new town to explore.”

“Then don’t you think you’re in the wrong business?” Adion asked.

“I have no problem staying weeks in a row on a senba as long as it’s moving,” Shindo said, “Like I’ve said, I enjoy traveling. But if you don’t get the chance to explore the places on the way, what’s the point of the journey?”

“That’s true,” Adion agreed, “Just don’t expect any help from me if the captain beats you up.”

“Haha, I’m not worried about that,” Shindo laughed, “Anyway, what do you think about the outpost? Do you want to go along with my plan?”

Adion didn’t answer right away. Shindo had been asking around for answers the day before, and he found that the outpost hadn’t been built for them to mine iron, just like they suspected.

With Shindo’s insistent questioning of everyone he stumbled upon, the group finally found someone with a little information.

A woman in her early twenties had approached their group the night before. Apparently, she was the niece of one of the men who had been working on excavating that area. She told Adion and Shindo that a mage in town had discovered a huge rocky terrain hidden below the surface, hidden beneath the sand. 

Those places are valuable all over the Saba Desert, and almost all permanent residences were built around a place like that. It made for excellent shelter from the heat during the summer, and most mages refused to live anywhere else.

The powerful mages in town saw this as an opportunity to expand the size of the town at first, but a closer look revealed that it would be incredibly difficult. Even if they dug out the structure by removing the sand above, new sand would constantly blow in and slowly return it to the way it was. 

Still, a place like that was worth exploring, as they could find ore to mine or other valuable resources. And so they gathered a group of workers, among them the uncle of the girl who told them about all of this, to begin removing the sand and start digging into the rock to see if there was anything of value there.

That was the latest news anyone had. After that, there had been no contact with the men who had been called over to work there, despite months already having passed. Worried family members who made too much of a ruckus would silently disappear, so by now, no one who knew anything dared to speak about it.

Powerful mages from the Empire started showing up a few weeks ago, and now, no one had any hope of seeing any of the initial workers ever again. 

This story, of course, sparked Shindo’s curiosity, and he wanted him and Adion to look out for any weak mages leaving that area and question them about the situation. 

“I don’t know,” Adion said hesitantly, feeling like Shindo had way too much courage for a Bronze mage.

“Come on,” Shindo said, “We are acting for justice! The people deserve to know the truth.”

“You’re just curious,” Adion said with a scoff.

“Maybe, but I still believe it’s a good thing to do,” Shindo said with a shrug. 

“Well, I’m also curious, but I don’t think your plan will do us any good,” Adion said.

“Why not?” Shindo asked.

“With how secretive they are being, I doubt they’d let anyone with information out of their sights. Maybe we could intercept a Bronze mage on his way to buy food from the city, but if he’s alone, he wouldn’t know anything. Sure, he might say that something important is hidden there, but he won’t know more than that.” Adion said.

“Do you have a better plan?” Shindo asked.

“Why don’t we just go in and take a look for ourselves?” Adion asked with a smile.

“You think we can do that?” Shindo asked. 

“I have a plan,” Adion said with a smile. He had decided that he would allow Shindo to know about his space powers so they could teleport inside the outpost to take a look. With Heavenly Light already knowing about his abilities, he wasn’t very concerned about Shindo knowing. He mostly just didn’t want to cause a sensation by displaying his abilities for all to see. That would make it far too easy for someone to track his movements. 

“Haha, alright, I’m in,” Shindo said with a laugh, “When do we move?” 

“I think tomorrow night will be good,” Adion said, “We need to prepare in case we are discovered and hunted. If we get a hold of a small senba, you’d be able to make it move, right?”

“Er, it wouldn’t be very fast,” Shindo said hesitantly, “But what do you think the chances are of being discovered?”

“If there is a Soul mage there, we would probably be discovered right away,” Adion said, “But we’d be able to escape at least. If there are only Diamond mages there…how good is your aura control?”

“It’s pretty good,” Shindo said, “I won’t have a more apparent present than you, at least.”

“Really?” Adion asked, surprised. Shindo should know how good his aura control was. 

He spends so much time on aura but neglects his wind control? He doesn’t seem to be lying, though. 

“If that’s the case, there is a good chance for us to go in and out undiscovered,” Adion said, “But even if someone notices our presence, escaping on our own is only the last resort. Hopefully, we’ll be able to blend in quickly here in town and continue our journey with the merchant company.”

“All right, I like those odds,” Shindo said with a smile, “Just don’t take any chances if there is a Soul mage involved, I don’t want to die yet.”

“I’m not stupid,” Adion said, “But a Soul mage is rare. I doubt they have someone like that as a guard in an area as weak as this.”

“True,” Shindo agreed.

Adion smiled. He was looking forward to what he might find in that outpost. 

I guess it will be a fun experience, even if I find nothing of value. 

Adion drank a few sips of wine and looked around the restaurant. He had kept his senses sharp for any signs that someone recognized him, but he hadn’t noticed anything. 

I guess that’s both good and bad. 

“By the way, Shindo,” Adion said, “Did that person from the Academy ever tell you what to do if you found me?” 

“You want to get found?” Shindo asked.

“Of course,” Adion said.

“I wasn’t so sure,” Shindo said, “So you’re finally willing to talk about it? Did you escape Heavenly Light? What happened?”

“Haah,” Adion sighed, already regretting asking. But he didn’t see the point of keeping these things to himself anymore. Especially not when he needed information. Adion was confident enough in his newfound memories and his own instincts that he wouldn’t be fooled even if it turned out Shindo wanted him harm. “I killed the guy who was keeping me under his guard when the situation arose. Anyway, I’m heading back to the Academy, but if they are looking for me, it would be more convenient to meet up with them for my journey home.”

“I see,” Shindo said, “I guess they can’t have a presence in every small town on the continent. And even if they did, it would be unlikely for you to run into each other. If I were you, I’d just ask around and make a big deal of your identity. You might not find anyone here, but if you do the same in the towns before we get to Kerrick Hold, you’re sure to get a result. Worst case, Kerrick Hold is sure to have people on the lookout, it’s a pretty big city.”

“The problem is that Heavenly Light is also looking for me,” Adion said with a wry smile, “I can’t risk them knowing where I am.”

“I see,” Shindo said slowly, “Damn. If someone from there notices you, they’re sure to send a strong mage after you. Wouldn’t I also be in danger, then?”

“Maybe,” Adion honestly answered. 

“I’ll take my chances,” Shindo said with a shrug, “But you’d let me receive the reward from the Academy for finding you, right? It’s the least you can do after all my effort.”

“Sure,” Adion said, shaking his head.

I hope I’ll find them soon. The more I remember, the more I want to go back home.

Adion down to his arm, where you could still see a vague outline of four words. 

I hope Sell isn’t too worried. Adion thought with a smile.

And I hope I can recover more memories of her before I get back. Or I’m afraid she’ll get mad. 

—

“Calm down, Sell,” Vermon said with a sigh.

How did she find out? 

I bet it's the Remori kids.

“I am calm,” The girl muttered with a small pout.

“Good, I was afraid my office would catch fire for a second there,” Vermon said with a small chuckle.

“I just can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Sell said with an indignant expression.

“It wouldn’t change anything,” Vermon said, “You’re too weak to make a difference. Knowing would only make you distracted.”

“I still have a right to know,” Sell insisted.

“You’re right,” Vermon said, agreeing that perhaps telling her about everything would have been the right thing to do. But he didn’t regret not telling her.

“So? What’s going on? Have they found anything?” Sell asked.

“This is why I didn’t want you to know,” Vermon said, shaking his head, “Unfortunately, they haven’t found anything yet. All members of Heavenly Light had abandoned the dock when our people arrived. They are continuing their search, but it’s been three days without any signs of a base. We suspect they might have destroyed or buried the place they kept Adion and escaped.”

“That…” Sell hesitated, “But they must be in the Saba Desert somewhere, right?”

“We hope so,” Vermon said, “We are still looking at other places all over Shiora, and we should receive word back from Quemer soon. But most of our men have been sent to the Saba Desert to look for signs of Adion. Three of the Hard Soul mages I sent there have given up on looking for the base and are now looking for his tracks deeper in the desert.”

“Then we might have news soon?” Sell asked, full of hope.

 “I really hope so,” Vermon said, “But know that nothing is certain yet.”

I’d really rather have let you know about this once we had some good news.

“I promise to tell you as soon as I get new information,” Vermon said.

“Will you?” Sell questioned with a doubtful look.

“Now that you already know about the expedition, I have no reason not to tell you,” Vermon said with a wry smile. He was quite patient with Sell, as he knew how worried she was about Adion.

“Okay,” Sell said, getting up from her seat, “Remember to tell me right away, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.”

“Will do,” Vermon agreed, looking down at his desk again to get on with his business. 

“I can’t believe he was in the Saba Desert,” Sell said in a low voice, “Was Perk and Tib right?”

“What’s that?” Vermon asked, looking up once again.

“Don’t you remember? I sent word about someone overhearing that a highly valued recruit from Heavenly Light had been sent to the Saba Desert. There is a possibility that he was sent there to recruit Adion,” Sell explained.

Recruit Adion? Why have I never heard anything about this?

“You think he has some special ability?” Vermon asked.

“I have no idea,” Sell said, “But Adion wasn’t killed, so he should have some use for them. Since they haven’t asked for a ransom, I guess they want to use his space magic for their own benefit. It makes sense that they’d try to manipulate him if they had someone with that ability.”

That's worrying. I really hope that’s not the case.

“Well, I know,” Vermon said, “Get some rest and try not to worry too much.”

“Okay,” Sell nodded, “I’ll have the Amyss members out looking to start focusing on the Saba Desert.”

“I’ll arrange someone to arrange communication,” Vermon said.

“Good,” Sell said, “Thank you for your hard work, Headmaster.”

“It’s nothing,” Vermon said with a smile.

As Sell stepped out of his office, the smile on his face disappeared, though.

I don’t want to think that they can turn Adion against us…but I can’t rule out the possibility.

I need to send word so they can be prepared.