‘Humph,’ Jax sneered as he saw the spear coming his way.
Before the spear reached him, the light red arrays he summoned finally connected and fully enclosed the whole area. Immediately, the area was engulfed by a light red veil, and all movements, magic activity, even the sound inside stopped.
The spear also stopped halfway and fell to the ground.
“What just happened?” Vera wondered out loud when the light red veil appeared.
From their standpoint, they could no longer see anything inside the enclosed field.
Luka’s eyes narrowed. He had been under Jax’s leadership for a couple of years now, but he had never seen Jax used his magic before. Looking at the enclosed field in front of them, Luka suddenly had an inkling that Jax’s magic was not the main question here, but how he could create this ‘veil’.
Jax was not a Magus, but this enclosed field looked like a domain.
“This is… not a domain, is it?” Vera said in confusion and looked at Luka. She was originally not part of Jax’s leadership; thus, she was unfamiliar with everyone’s magic.
Luka shook his head, “I’m not sure. It looks like a domain but…”
“You haven’t seen Major Jax use his magic before?”
“No,” Luka answered with a slight shake of his head. “He usually works alone. If he works with the rest of us, he only provides support.”
Vera’s brow creased slightly, but she did not pursue the topic and only looked back at the enclosed field in front of them.
Since they could not see what was happening inside, they could only wait.
This also gave Vera time to absorb the healing pill she took and recover a little.
Vera shifted and moved into a sitting position. Luka, sensing this, also moved aside to give her space.
“Luka, I’ll try to recover from my wounds. Please take the first watch,” she said.
Luka nodded, “Go ahead. I’ll arrange for reinforcements as well.”
“Thanks.”
While Vera meditated, Luka got to work and sent out coded messages to the remaining teams on standby back at their makeshift camp. After receiving a reply that reinforcements were on the way, he sat cross-legged on the ground and observed the enclosed field.
This turn of events was not part of any scenarios in their operation. When Luka received a message from Jax to return, he was alarmed because Jax would never order him to return if it was not an emergency.
That was why he and Vera immediately used the transportation array to return.
The setup of the transportation array at the underground working area was different from the one at the tent. If the previous transportation array would automatically activate once it had 12 people inside, the one at the working area would activate as long as you roused your magic into the array. Of course, it would not activate with just any magic. As long as the magic signature came from any of the team officers, it would activate. This setup was one of the safety measures they had in case the infiltration failed, and they had to escape. If the array had the same setup as the one at the tent, then they would be trapped if their number did not meet the minimum requirement to activate it. Having the array recognized only a specific magic signature also prevents pursuers from activating the transportation array because it would not be recognized.
Luka took a deep breath and crossed his arms. Before the start of their operation, they already reviewed the abilities of the Regis’s leaders. In case they encountered them, they prepared countermeasures to escape. Yes, escape. They did not plan on fighting them head-on. The gap of their level was too big, and if they get into a fight, they would only be throwing their lives. The Summoning Token Jax gave them was also another countermeasure. They were supposed to use it when they met any of the Regis Elders, as well as the Patriarch and his son. In their opinion, the strength and the defense of the summoned monster would be enough to keep them busy.
Who would’ve thought that even after Jax used his Summoning Token to deal with Cade, he would still be in a bind and would even call Luka and Vera over? And even after having three monsters face him, Cade didn’t look pressured at all.
Luka remembered how Cade easily destroyed the ogre with a single spear attack and shivered.
‘He’s an Abjurer right? How come his offense was strong as well?’ He thought.
Even if Cade mastered two specializations, there would definitely be a level gap from his initial specialization to the second. But Cade showed he was good at both, which was scary.
Cade’s strength was too unexpected that Jax was even forced to use his magic.
Luka wanted to believe that Jax’s magic could really counter Cade. Since Jax did not tell them to retreat before he went to battle, it meant he was confident enough.
‘Please be safe Major,’ Luka prayed sincerely in his heart.
====================
Inside the strategy meeting room at the Inner Wall Defense Headquarters of the Regis Inner Wall.
Patriarch Aron and the rest of the elders were currently observing the three projections on the table. Two of the projections showed Raya and Myst’s current location. They were already in position and were waiting for the Royal Army’s Infiltration Squad to appear. The last projection, which was also positioned at the center of the table, showed Cade’s battlefield.
From the start of the Royal Army’s attack, all of them had been watching. Right now, they were staring at the light red enclosed field that Jax used to trap Cade with him and the monsters inside.
Normally, the panel watching such a situation would be anxious to know the odds of their own man inside the entrapment. However, the expressions of the elders and the Patriarch remained indifferent. This attitude was proof of their trust in Cade.
“Jax is not part of any clan, however, he managed to enter the Royal Army and even become a Major. This means he is capable,” Greer commented as if they were watching a normal occurrence.
As the person in charge of the assessment team, he was familiar with all the information of the Royal Army personnel stationed at their premises.
Although the Summoning Tokens were not part of their current information, its addition had minimal effect on their overall strategy.
Aron nodded his head and said, “This would be the first time he showed his magic inside the Regis Estate.”
“Correct,” Greer agreed. “We know that he is a support mage with a possibility of becoming an Enchanter if he becomes a High Master. Unfortunately, we can’t confirm what it is. Even the Conclave does not have any record of when he used it in battle. “
“Meaning the Royal Army put a tight lid on it,” Aron smiled sideways.
“Do you think this field is a domain?” Arabella asked and looked at him.
“No. The magic fluctuation from it is too crude. His level might have reached the threshold of a High Adept though. He should’ve already been promoted, why he remains a Major may mean there is a flaw in his magic,” Aron replied. He contemplated for a moment before an idea crossed his mind, “Maybe there is a condition he has to meet in order to use his magic. Or he has a usage limit.”
“Makes sense,” Abe agreed. “If he was promoted to a Lt. Colonel, he will be transferred to one of the empire’s borders and participate in overt operations. If he can’t use his magic at will, he will be a deterrent in their battle strategy.”
Aron nodded in agreement. His eyes narrowed, and he said, “The Royal Family will only recognize and promote those who they can use.”
The atmosphere inside the room suddenly darkened.
It was not a secret that the Regis Clan had differing principles from the Royal Family. The public believed that this was why the Regis closed their doors and decided to live in seclusion. It was to prevent any war if both families fought for their own principles.
However, this was not the case. Because even when the Regis had their doors open, they were already in an estranged relationship with the Royal Family.
“Patriarch,” Eleanor spoke and broke the tension.
“What is it?” Aron asked and looked at her.
“Earlier, when Lord Cade said that the army’s movement was not a trap, you asked if he ‘noticed it’. I was wondering what you meant back then?” She asked while looking at him.
Aron smiled faintly and answered, “The army’s movement was deliberate. They wanted to let us know that they are planning something and to prepare beforehand.”
Except for Abe, the rest of the Regis elders all gasped in surprise.
“Why would they do that?” Zennif asked.
Aron looked back at the projection and replied, “Most likely, Major Jax, the one in-charge is not that receptive in executing their operation.”