Chapter 74: Aftermath

One didn't need to think much to know that the entrance of the hidden cave they entered collapsed when the explosions passed by it. The rocks from the ceiling continued to fall as Linfel's group ran deeper and deeper.

*Kabrum!*

*Bang!*

Everything began to get dark when a bolt of lightning came from Linfel's Core, hitting a falling rock that almost crushed Julius's head. Milia saw that and didn't waste time. Nori changed into his Flame Sword form and used his Magic Energy to intensify the flames. That helped illuminate the surroundings as they kept running.

*Crumble!*

Suddenly, the passage behind them fell down completely. Their group couldn't help but swallow hard, having escaped the fate of being buried alive by a few seconds.

As they went deeper, the tremors began to die, allowing everyone to finally sigh in relief. "Is it over...?"

They looked in the ceiling's direction, and it didn't seem it was going down anytime soon. "For now, at least..."

"What happened to the provisions regiment from Garisan? Did anyone see?" Falagita couldn't help but ask.

"Who cares?" Julius was still at his wit's end. "We almost died because of that shit! Heffal trapped us outside! Closed our path of retreat and wanted to use us as bait for this fucking mission! Who cares about Xanzion's invasion anymore. If I survive, I'm definitely leaving this shit country!"

Hearing that, Vera looked at him with a cold expression. She made it clear that deserters shall be killed.

*Gulp!*

Julius quickly closed his mouth, knowing he was pocking the tiger.

"Let's calm down first, shall we?" Claus tried to calm them down. The last thing he needed was Vera attacking members of his group. "Vera, you kept looking back as we ran. You should have an answer."

Vera's expression relaxed a bit, and she had Sando disconnect from her. "Yes. Considering the size of the explosions and their power, it is safe to say pretty much everything was destroyed and the soldiers killed. I would be surprised if even 10% of those present survived. Forget about the provisions. With this, the mission was a success."

She then looked at Linfel. "Speak. How did you fool the Xanzion MCOM? It is impossible to fake Magic Energy Signatures."

"Of course!" Linfel agreed with her. "Let's just say I used a little trick. However, that guy was too nervous to notice, that's all. If he had paid a little more attention, we wouldn't have been so lucky."

"What trick?" The others asked.

"That... is a little secret of mine," Linfel answered with a smile.

Vera narrowed her eyes. She was extremely alert at that moment and didn't see anything strange. What kind of trick was it that even she, someone with vast experience, couldn't notice? "Whatever. You fulfilled your promise and created an even bigger commotion than I could possibly have done myself. We even managed to survive, which I found hard to believe.

Everyone here has no need to worry. I will report everything, and you all will receive the proper rewards for your efforts."

That definitely improved the mood of the whole group. Nonetheless, they weren't out of the water yet. "That's good and all, but what do we do about this place?" They were locked deep underground and definitely couldn't make their way back from where they came.

Alvin and Milia quickly looked at Linfel. 'Can you find a way out?'

'Hum...' Linfel pondered a bit. 'Hard to say. I can't feel any currents of Magic Energy. There are two possible reasons for that. We are too far away from any exit, or there isn't an exit to start with.' Now that Linfel was at Level Two, his senses improved even more. Too bad he truly couldn't feel any currents.

Claus went to a corner and sat down. "Whatever we do, we escaped by a thread. Let's rest a little first."

"Are you even a soldier?" Vera couldn't help but complain.

Claus just smiled in response. "Obviously! Don't forget I'm not only a soldier, but I'm also your captain, and your captain is saying you should sit and rest a little."

"I was given authority to move as I saw fit before I joined your squad." Sure enough, Vera didn't care about Claus's orders.

Well, neither did Claus. "Is that so? Then you are free to continue on your own." As he said that, everyone sat together with Claus, all of them with tired expressions.

Vera gritted her teeth. She wanted to just leave them all behind... but she couldn't really force herself to do so. In the end, they were indeed tricked to serve as bait, including herself. Even if it was for the future of the country, the feeling of being tricked into dying wasn't very good. "Sigh...

fine! Let's rest, but just for one hour." Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"That's good enough." No one complained.

---

Far above the surface, a flash of blue light suddenly appeared in the sky right above where the provisions regiment was decimated. It was a Magus. The color of the Magic Energy and the Armor he was wearing were proof of his status as a Level Five Magus. The guy looked down, and blood came from the corner of his mouth as the man tried to swallow his anger. "How?! How did this happen?!"

Suddenly, his MCOM activated. Taking a look at the message, he could only report everything he was seeing. Following that, he shot into the distance, disappearing in the frontlines' direction. Xanzion and Heffal's fight was still ongoing. They were supposed to have the advantage. But with their main regiment of provisions gone, things changed.

---

On the Heffal Country's side, the commander in charge watched the battle from behind with his advisors. Orders were being passed right and left nonstop. Suddenly, someone entered his tent in a hurry.

"Report!" The man quickly began to speak. "A gigantic explosion happened far on the back of the Xanzion Army. It is hard to tell what happened since we don't have enough scouts. However, the Xanzion Country's Army seems to be reacting to it."

The commander's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at a man on the side. If Linfel and the others were here, they would definitely have identified that man. It was one of the Level Four Maguses of the 12th Battalion, the same one that passed them the orders before they left. "Franco, your suicide squad did it!"

Franco also sighed in relief after hearing those words. "Yes, they did it. And for that, we sent almost seventy people to die as bait without them even knowing. Now, they are all dead, all of them Level Two or Three Maguses and Familiars. Quite a few were mere students from Magus Academies."

The joyous mood in the tent instantly disappeared. The commander closed his eyes for a moment and nodded. "You have their identities, right? I'll make sure their families are taken care of."

Franco didn't seem that much happier with the commander's words. Instead, he began to make his way out of the tent. "Understood, Kritos. In any case, we need to make use of this chance. Xanzion will definitely retreat soon, so we need to kill as many as possible. I'll be going as well." Right after, he took flight and disappeared.

Kritos sighed and didn't say anything, sending his mind back to the battlefield. "Prepare to change formations. As soon as Xanzion shows any sign of retreating, we give chase. Don't go too far, though. Lest we fall for some trap."

---

Back underground, one hour passed fast, and their group was ready to move again. "Alright, let's get out of this hole."