Chapter 61 - General Commander's Return

Gabriel's eyes constricted as his body leaned forward over the table. His elbow disorganized some of the papers, but Jonas's contact with him was unexpected.

"Are Michele and Luca safe?"

"Of course they are. Do you believe Lysander would allow anything to happen to your precious children? Have you gone mad after just a few days?"

"What happened?" Asked Gabriel, ignoring Jonas completely.

"Your newest diciple… He created an ice blade."

One of Gabriel's eyebrows furrowed as he rose to his feet. Walking toward the center of his room, he sent a small fire toward the fireplace as he powered himself a drink.

"Gabriel?" asked Jonas.

"An ice blade… That was an unexpected development. Did you explain to him that ice is an evolutional element?"

"Why would I? He is your disciple… I'm just worried that you are making me train a nonhuman."

"Jonas, I thought Lysander taught you better than that. For the war to end, we need people who can see eye to eye… Still, Ice was unexpected. Could you elaborate?"

Jonas explained Bryn's level, skills, and spell evolution to Gabriel. He also told Gabriel about the last boar that Bryn had killed. It had been the strongest boar before the magical beast level. It had been a creature further on the food chain, so he had sent only one then. Gabriel listened as he drank the entire cup. Pouring himself a second drink, he waited for Jonas to finish Bryn's mana flow, control, and behavior descriptions.

Chicks were a bit red, and Gabriel felt warmth in his heart. That is before his competitive side showed itself.

"Wait a second! Are you telling me he is just as gifted as Michele?!"

"He is just as big of a monster as her for now when we talk magic. But that girl is still on another level when it comes to fighting and battles. I have no idea what her limitations will be."

"Good…"

"What is so good about finding another monster? Are you going, senile Gabriel? Do you think the king will allow such a threat to live?"

"You leave the king to me. Just keep helping him improve. I'll be there shortly."

"Fine, but remember that you have our entire platoon to consider… Not just your ideals…"

Gabriel's voice changed as he heard his friend on the other side of the talisman. "Jonas, remember you are talking to." His tone was serene; no emotion got mixed with it.

"Good. Now, you enjoy the capital while we are here in these forsaken woods. Jonas out."

Gabriel didn't reply; he simply looked out at the night stars. That night, the skies had no obstruction. Different shades of pink, orange, and green created a beautiful scene behind the stars. That night, he drank another cup before going to bed. He was happy for Bryn but knew the amount of red tape he would have to deal with.

As the sun shone on Astralhaven's horizon, Gabriel was already up and walking around the palace. He wore a regular officer uniform, and instead of going to the king's chamber, he decided to go by the capital's barracks. As he arrived, two cadets from the army saluted him. They performed a closed-hand fist above their hearts with the right elbow parallel to the fist height as the left hand twisted up and held at the waist.

That was the regular salute for those above you in the army, and since Gabriel wasn't wearing his primary uniform, that's how they reacted. As general commanders, the cadets were meant to lower their heads to improve the salute when meeting Gabriel. It was midway toward the Royal family status. Gabriel saluted them back before walking inside.

"Have you ever seen that officer?" asked one of the cadets.

"I have no idea, and I've been here for the past year. He is probably some low-level from the countryside…" the other one answered.

"How many officials are there?"

"How should I know? Many, I would guess…"

As the two chatted, a shout echoed within the barracks.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"WHERE WERE YOU? HOW THERE YOU COME HERE! I'LL ARREST YOU RIGHT NOW."

All guards ran toward the voice that sounded throughout the building. They all knew the voice of their commander very well, and for him to scream, the person would surely be in trouble. Since he ended with a threat, all the guard drew their weapons and ran toward the primary office.

The two cadets at the front were the first to arrive, but soon after, many others came. The silence was killing the two who had received the man in front of their commander's blade.

"Who is that man?" One of them whispered, asking one officer next to him.

The man's skin was pale; words couldn't leave his mouth as he tried to answer. His eyes were focused on the cufflinks the man was wearing. They had the form of winged shields. Inside of it was a lion and its sword. The man had trouble believing his eyes, but in doubt, he instantly saluted the General Commander.

The others were confused with the officer but bared no mind to his actions.

"Don't be like that, Cael. I'm always a call away from any assignment."

"Don't joke about our duty! How dare you leave your majesty's side? He should be protected at all cost."

"I'm not his guard… Now lower that weapon, or we'll have a duel on our hands." Said Gabriel as he sat down on one of the chairs.

Cael lowered his sword instantly without even thinking.

"Youu!! Everyone, leave. Close the door."

Respecting their orders, the door closed almost immediately after, but that interaction became the talk of the entire barracks. By the end of the day, everyone would whisper that the commander backed down from a duel. Some whispered about the mysterious man that one of the officers recognized as a General, but others said he was lying. The fact remains that an influential figure was there.

"Cael, I need a favor," said Gabriel.

"You spent the last year and a half without coming to the capital and simply arrived asking for favors? You'll never change."

Gabriel's lips curled down as his lips pressed one another before he answered. "You know I don't like the "noble" way of life. I love our country and owe our king a lot, but living within the Capital is not the best for me or my children."

"Fine… What can I do for you, all mighty Gabriel?"

"I need to speak to a cadet at the Royal Academy. His name is Eamon Wycliffe."

"One day, you'll have to deal with your pain, old friend."

"Can you help me?"

"Of course, I can help you. But you know that if you show up at the Academy in your proper uniform, even the doorman will help you…" said Cael, facepalming himself and rising to his feet.

"Thank you, be sure that I'll remember it."

"You are one of the three General Commanders, Gabriel… You don't need to ask for favors inside the army," said Cael as he lightly touched Gabriel's shoulder.

After asking Cael when he could speak to Eamon, Gabriel decided to stroll through the barracks training ground. Many army cadets were in the middle of their exercises, so no one batted an eye about an officer walking around.

Looking at the exercises, Gabriel knew there were more efficient ways of leveling up skills, but the exercises were good for losing the fear of physical contact. They were sparring against wooden dummies and each other.

"Look at them, trying to become officers. They have no chance! Only those from the Royal Academy should become officers." said a random officer walking toward Gabriel. A few low-ranked officers were with him as they mocked the cadet's improvement efforts.

"You are mistaken, young man. At first, some of the very best soldiers and leaders the country had were neither nobles nor Royal Academy students."

"Haam?? Who are you? I've never seen you around…"

"I'm just passing by, but you should refrain from mocking the efforts of these cadets…"

"That doesn't tell me who you are, officer. I'll let you know that I'm from a noble family. You should be more careful how you speak to me." said the young man.

Gabriel's eyes rolled up as he only wanted to enjoy the youth training session. He waved his hand to the side, complementing it with a simple "Sure, sure…"

While the young man turned red and fumes came out of his ears, one of his friends had seen that person before. He recognized the cufflinks at Commander Cael's office.

"Dude, we should leave. This man is trouble! He was at the commander's office earlier… You heard my story!" the man whispered.

"If Cael was screaming at this man, he is lucky to be alive…" the young man answered his friend. Walking toward Gabriel and placing his arm around his shoulders, he continued. "How about we demonstrate to the cadets how powerful they need to become to get promoted?"

"I don't have the time," answered Gabriel.

"What is so urgent you can't spare three minutes?"

"You are right; showing everyone how strong they should become may be important." Tired of the back-and-forth, Gabriel changed his mind.

The young man's expression changed instantly as the random officer fell for his trap. He would show that man how to respect the nobles. His friend kept telling him it was a bad idea, but it was too late to back away.

As both walked toward the center of the training ground, all the cadets stopped their actions to watch the officers. The man responsible for everyone's training was a recently promoted captain from simple origins. He loved the idea of helping shape the next generation, especially the ones from poor backgrounds. He believed army discipline and development helped shape young kids into men.

"Officers, what are you two doing?" the captain asked.

"This senior and I wished to do a demonstration for your cadet captain," the young man said.

The captain recognized the youngster. He had received a folder of those to be aware of inside the capital's barracks. The image of the young man before him was there. The youngest parent of a viscount, he had backing both in the army and the noble families. Still, this training ground was his; should the other party be forced to participate in the demonstration, he wouldn't have it.

"How about you, officer?" asked the captain, looking at the man beside the kid. The moment their eyes met, the captain was paralyzed. Why is my hand trying to grab my sword but can't move?! Who is this beast?

"As he said, a demonstration…" said Gabriel, nodding his head slightly from side to side as a message from the captain not to intervene.

The captain nodded up and down, slowly getting out of their path toward the center of the training ground. He then called for all the cadets' attention to the demonstration before them.

It's time to test the young blood. He seems strong, but let's see how much battle experience he has behind his status—thought Gabriel.

"Young man, you should put on your battle armor and weapon," said Gabriel.

"There is no need for that much…" he answered as he dashed toward Gabriel with a mana punch.

"Good aggressiveness, but a bit too predictable." Gabriel dodged attack after attack that the young man threw at him.

After 30 seconds of a nonstop barrage of punches, kicks, and elbows, the young man started to channel his mana to his body and spells.

"Very good. You have proper training in multitasking. Be careful not to do too much at the same time…" said Gabriel, using a mana pulse to destabilize an incoming spell and performing two attacks that didn't connect on the kid's neck and inner leg. He then backed away and waited, quickly stepping up and down.

Noticing something strange, the young man went for a second attempt. After 30 seconds, he pulled his armor from the spacial ring. It was a shiny armor with many magical stones on the plates. It was a fantastic masterpiece, even by the capital's standards. All cadets roared as they saw magical equipment for the first time. Even the friends of the young man were thrilled. They had seen the armor in previous training sessions but had yet to be in combat.

Looking at the young man, Gabriel changed his stance and simply stated, "Come…" using his fingers to call the young man for battle.