Kyran studied his surroundings.
When he used the power of the void to escape, the location he focused on connecting the void was this mountain.
Right now, he was standing near the edge of that mountain’s cliff. He looked at the densely packed trees to his left leading inside the mountain. Then he examined the cliff to his right.
Kyran did not want to go inside the mountain. He could not risk encountering any wild animals that live there. Besides, he was not familiar with this place.
Seeing that there was enough space to walk along the cliff, Kyran decided to search for a place to rest using this route.
Ideally, he wanted to find a location with a nearby source of water. But knowing that he could barely stand straight, as long as the location was free from immediate danger, then it would be good enough. He would apply first aid to his wounds first and rest. When he had enough strength, then he would find water.
Once Kyran decided on his next steps, he urged his exhausted body and started walking along the side of the cliff.
====================
BAM!
A loud explosive sound came inside the Grand Marshal’s office at the Royal Army Headquarters.
Inside, a middle-aged man with blonde hair and amber eyes glared at the three people kneeling in front of him.
This man stood more than seven feet tall. His gold and red uniform with six golden badges and one diamond-shaped emblem of the Ylfaen Empire indicated his position as the Grand Marshal of the Royal Army.
The other three people he was glaring at were Dior, Luka, and their superior.
After returning to the headquarters, Dior and Luka reported what happened at the Regis estate to their superior, and they immediately went to the Grand Marshal.
After the Grand Marshal heard their report, he was too furious that he slammed his desk and broke it into two.
“You dare show up here after letting the boy escape?” the Grand Marshal’s voice boomed. He released an invisible force and swept the three people in front of him.
The force he released made the three retreated a little.
Dior’s and Luka’s faces also paled from the impact, and blood trickled at the corner of their mouths. They endured the pain. After all, the Grand Marshal’s anger was warranted.
“Grand Marshal Gael, please show mercy.”
The middle-aged man with Dior and Luka spoke.
He was wearing a black and red uniform, with a silver badge pinned on his vest. It indicated that the man’s rank was higher than Dior and Luka, who had bronze badges.
Dior looked at his superior from the corner of his eyes. He felt terrible for implicating their superior because of their failure.
“Show mercy? Tell me how to do that, Major Jax, after your men failed to complete such a simple task!”
“Grand Marshal, please, my men did fail to capture the boy, but it was not because of neglect. The Regis clan somehow anticipated their move. And the boy could actually use his magic,” Jax hastily reasoned.
Gael’s expression turned cold, “What do you mean anticipated your move? Are you telling me that the mission was leaked? And the boy… was not even a mage student. How can he control his magic?”
Jax looked at Gael, “The Regis clan knows about the boy’s magic, sire. They might have taught him basic magic control.”
“He possessed forbidden magic. Are you telling me that when he was being ‘taught’ magic control, our detector failed to pick up his signature?”
“Th-that’s….”
“Permission to speak, Grand Marshal.” Dior suddenly spoke.
Gael turned to Dior, “Speak.”
“Sire,” Dior looked at Gael. “The first time we picked up the boy’s magic signature was almost half a month ago. As Major Jax speculated, the Regis family might have started preparing then. And although the boy did not use his magic, someone might have taught him the theory behind magic control. From our intelligence, the boy was adept in grasping theories.”
“To be able to use magic base on the theory someone taught him without even practicing. Do you take me as an idiot, Captain?” Gael emphasized Dior’s position after seeing his bronze badge.
Dior immediately lowered his head.
“No, sire. This remark actually came from all his instructors at the military school.”
‘Military school?’ Luka scowled. He was not aware of the boy’s background. Hearing this information, Luka remembered how the boy was able to react to his sneak attack. No wonder he was able to respond. Even his kick carried weight. ‘That boy is a combat specialist?’
Gael showed a look of surprise. He suddenly recalled a conversation he had with Dean Fallon of the military school almost six years ago.
Fallon mentioned a rare talent among the new students that year. Gael did not pay much attention to it because although the Royal Army had a Combat Specialist Division, he was more interested in recruiting talents who could use magic.
“Permission to speak as well, Grand Marshal.” Luka also spoke.
Gael frowned as he looked at Luka but still replied, “Go ahead.”
“The boy indeed was a rare talent. From the short exchange I had with him, I could determine that his combat ability was not any weaker than our captain-level combat specialists.”
Gael’s frown deepened. If that boy indeed has a rare talent in combat, if he also mastered the use of his magic. He would undoubtedly become a powerful combat mage.
‘Then it would be harder to take him,’ he thought.
Turning his back, Gael silently contemplated his next move. He looked out the window and stared at the full moon high up the clear night sky.
He could use the boy’s family to lure him, but that would smear the Royal Army’s prestige. He had to approach this properly. After all, combat mages were not exactly rare, but a combat mage using void magic, now that would be another story.
“Find that boy. Call the Mercenary Guild and issue a bounty of one million high-grade spirit stones for his capture. It does not matter if he loses a limb or two. I only need him alive.”
“Yes, sire,” The three replied.
Gael sat on his chair after the three left. His eyes glinted maliciously as he thought of what he would and could do once he seized the boy.
====================
Because of Kyran’s condition, it took him almost three hours to find a safe location.
It was a small cave.
Inside, he also found a small trench with clear water. The water was an overflow from a gap on the cave’s wall, and Kyran supposed that there was a body of water somewhere above the cave.
After checking that there was no lurking danger inside, Kyran went over the trench and took off the small leather pouch fastened at the side of his belt.
It was the birthday present he received from Uncle Jared.
Before Kyran parted with his mother, she put some items in the pouch.
“This will help you on your journey. But use it wisely.”
‘Is what she said,’ Kyran remembered her mother’s words.
He felt a lump in his throat, remembering his family once again.
Slightly shaking his head, Kyran sat down carefully. His body was in pain right now, but he had to endure. He leaned on the wall before opening the pouch.
The pouch was made from a komodo’s skin. However, the unique thing about this skin was not its toughness but its space magic. If a komodo were skinned correctly, it would retain the essence of its space magic. After applying an assimilation magic array, it could then be used as a material to produce space storage.
Seeing the contents of the pouch, Kyran could not help but smile faintly.
The pouch contained some spare clothes, food rations, medicines, potions, even bandages. It also included some middle-grade spirit stones and gold coins. There were more kinds of stuff, like scrolls and containers. He also spotted two long thin boxes that resembled a sword’s case.
Obviously, his uncle also put many things in the pouch before he gave it to him.
‘It’s as if they already knew something will happen,’ Kyran thought miserably.
After a short pause, he took out a cloth, a roll of bandage, some medicines, one white potion, and a set of clothes. Next, he took off his clothes and properly checked his body.
Kyran grimaced after confirming his condition.
His left leg suffered a mild fracture. His body also suffered at least first to second-degree burns with bruises and cuts all over. The worse of his injury was his broken left arm. While his lower right arm also suffered a fracture, at least he could still move it.
The injury from his lower right arm was when he blocked the sneak attack from the officer in a green uniform.
The truth, he was only able to block the attack by utilizing the technique he learned at military school.
He never thought he would use it in actual combat so soon.
Closing his eyes, Kyran focused on feeling his inner body. He felt a sharp pain around his left hip bone and rib cage. He guessed that it was also fractured.
This one he got from when he was escaping from the officers in a red uniform. He got blasted by the man who uses fire magic, and he crashed on a tree.
Kyran remembered how he almost passed out from the pain, but it was due to that that he was able to tap on his void magic for the first time.
He did not remember how but he was only thinking of escaping. And soon, he was enveloped by his magic and then appeared deeper in the forest.
Kyran opened his eyes and dipped the cloth into the small trench. The water was cold, but it was enough to treat his wounds.
====================
At the Mercenary Hall.
The female personnel at the front desk almost dropped the communication device she held on her ears after hearing the person’s instruction at the other end.
“O-One million high-grade spirit stones?” she asked once again.
“That’s right. Make sure to inform all our top mercenaries. And explain the conditions properly. I don’t want any accident!” The person on the other end cut off the communication without waiting for the girl’s reply.
Another female personnel looked at her after seeing her flustered look.
“What’s wrong, Hela? What did the boss say?”
“S-Sis, we have another bounty request.” The girl named Hela replied.
“Well, duh. We are the Mercenary Guild. We always receive bounty requests.”
“N-No, this is a little different.”
The girl frowned, “How different?”
“I-It’s worth one million high-grade spirit stones!”
“What?”