NOVEL WEB Chapter 231: Hal’s POV
Come the morning of the next day, Hal prepared himself, donning a fresh set of uniform and his dark blue capelet, and headed to the dormitory canteen to eat a fairly nice breakfast.
He then immediately went to Korvus's office after.
The horrifying near-death experience in the east snuffed out what remained of his foolishness, causing him to prefer settling important stuff first.
He didn't want to delay the reporting session.
With his Manatech Hoverboard, getting around the campus grounds was much faster now, and he arrived at the Deputy Headmaster's Office in merely seven minutes.
"Deputy Headmaster." Hal bowed.
He now understood the rather extreme old man a bit more, having lost a few comrades who had fought side by side with him for a few days.
He could only imagine the losses Korvus had to go through.
"Hal." Korvus stood up, locking eyes with him in all seriousness. "Great job, lad."
Hal was inwardly surprised.
He didn't expect such concise yet powerful praise from the old man.
Maybe Korvus had already heard bits and pieces from his old comrades, and that's why he's acting like this.
"Thank you, Deputy Headmaster." Hal bowed once more.
He wasn't used to the old man acting like this and felt a bit uncertain how to react, so he quickly shifted the topic.
"Oh, right...Master told me that she wanted to hear about the battle from my perspective..."
"Indeed. The Headmistress had also informed me. Come, follow me."
In the next moment, a spatial crack appeared, which the old man unhesitatingly entered.
Hal naturally followed suit, even though this wasn't the usual method Korvus used to bring him to Isolde...
To his astonishment, he could even see his master scribbling things on the other end as he crossed through the rift.
"Master," Hal greeted with a sincere bow, to which The Headmistress nodded in acknowledgment.
"Hal, have you had a decent rest?" asked Isolde with a warm smile.
"Yes, Master," Hal confirmed, smiling back at her.
"Good. Now, I shall begin our discussion with your rewards." Isolde began.
"As you know, Magna Prospects aren't affiliated with the Imperial Wizard Army, and you guys are more like contracted mercenaries. Your assignments would naturally be paid through rewards. Unfortunately, I don't know what you would receive, but I told them to refrain from giving you spellbooks or artifacts. Your reward should arrive after a week, and you may claim it from Korvus."
Hal nodded, not too excited.
Cedar and Targon's empty gaze was still haunting him to this day.
It was a bit difficult for him to celebrate, considering the battle was lost, and a lot of people had died.
All the loving families they left behind...
Isolde and Korvus didn't react, but they certainly noticed the changes.
Such were the aftereffects of the battlefield.
"Now, with that out of the way, tell me what happened."
Hal nodded and began recounting how, in his first few days in Parralen Valley, things were pretty stable.
It seemed as though the Imperial Army had the advantage since his and Ennya's platoons were reducing the number of Fell Beasts in the valley's periphery without any interruptions for a good few weeks.
They were forced to stop after the assassination attempt, but the fell race began the so-called "migration" soon after.
This was the part where Korvus and Isolde's brows began to furrow.
As it turned out, the migration to a wider area was nothing but a mere trap set by the fell race to lure their forces in the east, and they had already created tens of thousands of Fell Beasts long ago.
Korvus clenched his fists at the part where a force of five thousand suddenly emerged from the back, fully aware that this alone would've been enough to wipe out two regiments, let alone one.
Had it not been for the young soldier who managed to escape from the outpost, perhaps Hal and Ennya would've stayed in the east forever.
Zephyron's prowess might be enough to ensure his safety, but he alone wouldn't be able to save an entire exhausted and cornered regiment.
Then came the part where they narrowly escaped into the Az Tunnel.
To Hal's surprise, both Korvus and Isolde didn't react much when he told them that Zephyron was left outside, stuck alone after another cunning Fellkin outsmarted them.
Probably because they were far more familiar with a Magna's combat prowess than him.
In any case, Hal continued his storytelling, becoming a bit more animated and enthusiastic when it came to the part where he supplied the entire army with warm meals.
While he omitted a few irrelevant pieces, Hal pretty much told them the truth of everything he experienced, including how Zephyron's cohort members were killed by the Fell Hag and how he took over, almost defeating the female fellkin with a strange skin color and transparent-ish black stripes.
To his bewilderment...
"What?!" Korvus and Isolde exclaimed in unison, with a hint of cold and grim undertones.
Hal froze, realizing that the Fell Hag might've been a bit special.
And he dared insult her with his vicious mouth...
Hal inwardly shivered, slightly nervous as he asked:
"Y-You said you fought this Fellkin to a draw?!"
Korvus suddenly grabbed his shoulders, the old man's forehead almost making contact with his.
He gently pushed the older man, but found that Korvus' chest was as hard as a stone wall.
'W-What the hell?!' he cursed to himself in utter disbelief.
How is this old man still so ripped?!
"W-Well, more like I ran around and survived until Lord Zephyron arrived. W-Why, is there something special about that Fell Hag?"
"Hag? What do you mean hag? How old is the Fellkin?" chimed Isolde, a bit confused.
"A-Around early to mid thirties, I think..."
Isolde fell silent, making Hal feel a bit nervous.
'S-Sh*t...did I unintentionally...'
If he called a female Fellkin, who was in her thirties, a hag, then what about her master, who was already in her mid-fifties?!
Hal gulped.
But to his surprise, his master merely sighed to calm her heart, and the old man in front of him had seemingly fallen into deep ponderment as well.
Only after a few moments had passed did his master speak again:
"I see...This is quite a significant matter, as that Fell Hag you mentioned had the potential to be a Seres. It was quite unfortunate that we're not sure if that female fellkin perished, but I shall report this to the Imperial Wizard Army and leave this to them. Great job surviving out there, Hal. You're dismissed for now. If you ever need me, do approach Korvus."
Hal nodded, but he didn't leave, instead locking eyes with Isolde.
"There's something I need your guidance with, master..."