Chapter 31: Recuperation.

The Seventh Army and the remaining survivors of the Northern Demon Kingdom retreated all back to Prashyufa. It took them three whole days to reach the citadel. No rest or stops, just a straight trek to the Citadel. The grand gate opened as the soldiers from the First to Third Armies saw them. Morale for the soldiers in the citadel went low after seeing the bad state the armies that retreated was in, grievous injury and the face of shame in all of them. 

After settling back into the safety of the citadel, Klauna ordered a status report from Harbin. Apparently, the Kingdom had lost four out of the twelve generals that were sent there. Their armies died with them. The strength remaining armies were effectively cut in half. This was without counting the number of soldiers that were injured or in a critical state. If they had to count, the numbers would be even less.

Another unfortunate news was that the Demon Lord Sylendri survived. She was in a state of half coma as the medical staff relentlessly tried to keep her alive and treat her wounds. Currently, she’s resting in her chambers within her fancy castle. As bad as it may sound to people, Klauna wished that the trash died in the battle. The thought that she lost a few of her men in a move that effectively saved the trash made her a little bit upset.

And then… There was the worst part of the news, the number of losses that the Kingdom suffered. The Seventh Army had lost forty-three soldiers during that battle— mostly Analysts, a couple of Warriors and Cunnings. Half of them were freshly recruited soldiers. This brings the total of soldiers within the Seventh Army to a one thousand six hundred and sixty-nine unit.

Most of the losses were cremated or buried accordingly. Unfortunately, the Seventh Army was unable to retrieve some of their fallen comrade’s bodies. They were given a special coffin filled with their belongings in a nameless grave, hidden at the top of a hill south of Prashyufa. Hidden as the last thing the Seventh Army wanted was to have their friends' graves defiled after all.

Klauna was standing on the said hill, overlooking the graves of her fallen soldiers. She wasn’t happy. Despite the plan going generally well during the battle of fate, she failed to account for a few unexpected events. Like how fast the armies of the Northern Demon Kingdom would fall and how the miniature iron forts could be flipped so easily from an attack beneath. She also did not account that the soldiers under her would risk their lives so willingly to secure her safety.

Indeed, most of the deaths that happened were simply because Klauna was out of position and gave her orders too late. She got into a position like that because she thought everything was going fine and didn’t pay much attention. Usually, it wouldn’t be a problem for someone like her who can move around the battlefield as she likes, however, she didn’t account for the fact that her subordinates could get caught in her problems as well.

Their deaths were on her.

Having mourned enough, she took a slow and silent walk back to the encampment. On the way there, she stumbled upon her recruits. A medium-sized group of close-knit friends who were carrying flowers and offerings; the three notable people among them, Aki, Sladar and Pringgar, leading the way.

“General Klauna!” They spotted Klauna who was walking downhill. They then gave her a salute before engaging her in a conversation.

“Visiting the graves again? The others must be happy to see you visit them.” Aki told her, a big grin on his face.

“...” Klauna remained silent as she stared at her new recruits. The deaths of their friends were on her after all. What else can she say to them?

Unlike the other members of the Seventh Army who she had known from a few months to years, she had only known these people for three weeks. Their patterns were a bit different as well. While others could be seen to be more formal with her, these people were more casual with her. Though they could be seen being more reserved after the Battle of Fate. Having seen Klauna mowing down enemies had made them humble. They were a bunch of good-natured people who got involved in a war that has nothing to do with them.

“What’s wrong General Klauna? Are you feeling unwell?” One of the Analyst recruits asked.

“...Nothing. I just wanted to ask all of you a question.” 

“A question?” Pringgar asked.
“Just shoot away, General, I’ll answer it to the best of my abilities!” Aki replied with a confident tone.

“It’s nothing serious really. I just wanted to know if there are any of you who wanted to leave the army or want to take a few days off to visit your relatives.”

“Ehh? Well, I wouldn’t mind taking a few days off, but to leave the army? Why would we leave the army?” Aki asked. “Isn’t that right guys?” He asked the others and they nodded in agreement with him.

“I just thought, maybe some of you might have a grudge on me.” Klauna looked towards the small hill with the grave on it. “They died because of my incompetence after all.”

“...”

“What’s wrong? Why are you all so silent?” Klauna turned around to see their faces when she didn’t hear any response.

“...no reason. Don’t... Push yourself too hard General Klauna. It’s not really your fault.  Look at the time guys! We need to hurry up if we are to be in time for dinner,“ Pringgar said as she hurried away towards the hill. Klauna was unable to see her face.

“...We’ll see you later Lord General,” Sladar said as he chased after her older sister.

The other recruits saluted her before leaving the place as well. Klauna was left alone there, not understanding their actions. She tried to think up a few reasons why but soon stopped. It was too tiresome. She just took out a bottle and started drinking it on the way back to camp. The spear and banner, Indominatus waved with the air.

….
….
….
….

Once she arrived at the encampment. Klauna’s first thought was to get back to her private tent to take a nap. In a job like the military, it is best to get as much sleep as you can. Letting a huge yawn as she walked, she spotted a peculiar group walking within the encampment.

It was Harbin, Balestra, Poi, and Kazakiel. 

They were travelling somewhere. Klauna wondered where, but couldn’t be bothered to think about it. She just decided to follow them silently. They walked and walked till they reached a big tent with the medic cross plastered on it. A red and white motif all over the design of the tent. The small group then greeted the medical staff outside before moving into the tent.

Klauna followed behind them in secrecy. The Succours outside kept silent as Klauna brought her finger to her lips, wishing her presence to not be known. She then moved silently behind a blind, away from their eyes.

“How is Cera doing right now?” Harbin asked Medica in the triage tent.

“Why not take a look for yourself?” Medica teased Harbin as she opened the curtain to Cera’s bed.

The curtain opened and what revealed was Cera sitting down in bed, drinking a bowl of soup. The sudden visit surprised her as she almost spat out the soup she was drinking.

“...Hi,” She awkwardly waved at the others.

“Cera!” Harbin came closer to the Warrior. “Thank goodness… When they say your eyes were bleeding I expected the worst.”

“Yeah… I’m fine. Thanks, Harbin.” Cera said with a soft smile.

“As you can see, she’s totally fine, other than the signs of mana exhaustion, no permanent damage to her system,” Medica explained.

“No way! But I saw it myself! Her eyes were bleeding and her skin was burning!” Poi exclaimed.

“I’ve checked it extensively Poi, her eyes and her skin are fine as you can see, totally fine. The only thing wrong with her is that she has a hard time moving her body. Nothing a little bit of rest in bed can’t heal. She’s much better off than those people over there at least.” Medica faced towards the bed next to Cera. Yuupiecca could be seen lying on it, clutching his core with a pained expression.

The others just gave him a pitiful look before ignoring him altogether. That’s just the price one pays for survival.

“Cera can discharge within the next few days, but that guy is out for the next two weeks or so. And that’s an optimistic estimate,” Medica said, letting out a sigh in the process.

Poi let out a sheepish smile at Yuupiecca’s condition, a little bit concerned about him. “Is there no way to get him out faster, Medica?” 

“Well there is, but it’s best to naturally heal for these kinds of things,” Medica replied

“I see… I wonder what happened out there… Cera is totally fine and Yuupie is not. How strange...” Poi brought her hand towards her chin.

“I don’t know… I’ve never seen such a phenomenon myself…” Medica too brought her hand to her cheeks and let out another sigh. “I wish I was there to see it for myself.”

“I don’t really know myself either… All I could remember was wanting to get through the enemies and the next thing I know, my vision turned red and I felt… So powerful…” Cera said as she inspects her body.

“Could it be some sort of hidden power from the Warrior crest?” Harbin theorised.

“Awakening.”

Everyone went silent when Kazakiel spoke.

“Awakening?” Harbin asked.

Kazakiel closed his eyes at the question as if trying to remember something from the back of his mind. “It’s something that happens to Ak’hims of the five main crests. Our eyes will shed blood and we unlock latent energy within ourselves, becoming more powerful individuals in the process. It’s not something that just anybody can achieve though. We don’t know the exact specifics to trigger it.”

“Was there such a thing? I’ve never learned it in any medical books… but then again I feel like I’ve heard of it before...” Medica said back.

“It’s rare. As I say, not everyone gets to do it.”

Jolting down the knowledge in the Grimoire of the Analysts, Harbin then turned to face Cera. “Hmmm. Is what Captain Kazakiel saying is true Cera? You feel more powerful?”

Cera brought her hands in front of her and clenched them tightly before releasing them. “I can’t really tell. But I do feel calmer… Like I can think faster now, clearer… ”

The room went silent for a while.

Seeing that there is nothing else to discuss, Medica went over to the blinds. “... we will know later when you discharge. For now, get some rest.”

“Got it,” Cera replied.

Medica and the others waved her goodbye as they close the curtain on her, giving her the peace she needs to rest.

“Awakening huh?” Cera muttered before pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. She then lied down in an attempt to sleep.

“Hey! Yuupie! I’ve come to visit you!” Poi’s yell was heard next to her bed, followed by the sound of something landing on the bed and the wild scream of the Analyst.

‘So much for peace of mind.’ Cera let out a wry smile before trying to go back to sleep again. The attempt clearly failed when she suddenly saw Klauna at the edge of her vision. Cera could feel her heart burst as she jolted upwards on the bed. 

“Gene—” Cera’s scream was stopped when Klauna put her hand over her mouth. She then let go and brought a finger to her lips.

“I don’t want them to know.” She whispered.

“...” Cera kept quiet and nodded.

They both looked towards the curtain to check if the group on the other side noticed them. Fortunately, they didn’t. Yuupiecca and Poi could both be heard arguing against each other, while the others were laughing at their antics.

“...Is there anything you want me for, General Klauna?” Cera asked softly, making sure that the people next to her small ward couldn’t hear her.

“Nothing really… Just wanted to see if you are alright,” Klauna said as she took a sip from the bottle of liquor she had in her hand.

Seeing Klauna drinking the bottle of liquor in front of Cera made her a little annoyed. Cera wanted to take the bottle away but finds herself without the energy to do so. Letting out a sigh, she asked another question. “You could have joined up with them you know? Not sneaking around like this.”

“...She’ll just take the bottle away from me if I go with her.” Klauna said.

Cera gave her a deadpan stare. 

“By the way…I want to ask something about the recrui—”

“Harbin! General Klauna is here!” Cera yelled before Klauna could finish her words.

Harbin’s surprised yelped was heard and the blinds next to Cera's bed quickly opened. Harbin then noticed the bottle in Klauna’s hand and rushed towards her to confiscate it.

The look on Klauna’s face when Cera betrayed her was one of a kind.

Kotohood

Thanks for reading! Next Chapter on the 28th!
Also for those who may not know yet, I've just recently released another series(it kinda blew up in views, woke up from the bed and saw like 30 notifications), so maybe check it out sometimes. Don't worry, this story will be the main focus until it is done.