The talk Kyran had with the old man, and Gael bore no fruit. But it was not completely futile. At least now, he had a better understanding of the Somuli's state of affairs. Though it was only between three nations, the Armakea, Eidums, and the Kingdom of Cretea, it was enough to plan his next steps.
Kyran returned inside the HQ and helped out in the Infirmary as promised. He assisted Cyneah in concocting potions and pills and tending to the more critical patients.
When it was time to rest, Cyneah tried to get Kyran a room close to her, but Gidan rejected her request and had Kyran share a room with Hilam.
Kyran did not argue. As much as he wanted to be close to Cyneah, moving around and gathering information was easier if he was closer to the rest of the Eidums. It was not to say she was less informed than the others. But he knew she would withhold information if she guessed he was up to something dangerous.
Hilam was on duty that night. Thus, Kyran took the chance to rest for a few hours. After that, he went to the HQ's archive and studied everything he found helpful in his planning. He also took the chance to check on the plane's magic law and learn the Divine Armament that every complete being possessed.
Simply put, a Divine Armament is a weapon version of a magic core. Complete beings are born with a Divine Armament that enables them to produce magic energy of their own. If a complete being reaches a certain level of affinity with his Divine Armament, he can also summon it and use it to enhance his magic output further.
Beast-likes do not have a Divine Armament, but they are gifted in absorbing the mana in the earth.
Mana is different from magic energy. The former comes from the plane's own life force, while the latter is a natural energy that forms in the surroundings.
The more Kyran's knowledge of the Somuli grew, the more he understood why the Sovereigns coveted it. Kyran guessed they were not interested in the plane itself but its inhabitants. The beast-likes' ability to absorb mana could become an advantage in the War of the Sovereigns, especially when a war happened in a place where magic energy was scarce. The same went for the complete beings. With a Divine Armament, they no longer needed a magic weapon to amplify their magic output. Apart from this, they had a few with healing abilities, the Eidums.
The side with powerful healers had a better chance of winning a war. Of course, having healers did not guarantee one's victory, but their side could last longer in a battle of attrition.
Because time was longer in Somuli, Kyran managed to learn a lot of things overnight.
Obviously, his progress was only possible because of his innate ability. No matter how good one's comprehension and memory were, they would not progress that much.
When morning came, Kyran went to Gidan and showed him the training menu for the fighters.
Initially, Gidan had a look of appreciation when he received it. However, after reading it, his expression turned grim, and he even asked Kyran if there was a way to reduce the things they had to do.
Kyran rejected his request.
The training menu Kyran prepared included the fighters' physical training, diet, and practical knowledge.
When the fighters saw their schedule, they felt like they were back in the Abbey, learning from scratch and more.
Kyran supervised the fighters' training, while Gidan had a different menu to accomplish.
Since Gidan already possessed a powerful physique, Kyran focused on nurturing his practical knowledge and combat.
While Kyran was busy training the others, Gidan focused on studying practical knowledge. Once Kyran was free, he and Gidan would have a close-door combat session.
This had been the routine inside the HQ for the next few days.
Azikh and Cyneah were somewhat stupefied that Kyran never brought up his suggestion again. He did not even make any subtle attempts in gauging their opinion.
It was as if that talk never happened.
Of course, they knew it was not the case. Most likely, Kyran wanted them to think it through without putting any unwanted pressure on them if he kept mentioning the topic.
Four days later, they received a message informing them that the Abbot's son would arrive in five days.
Everyone was surprised because they knew the Abbot's son was scheduled to visit by the end of the month.
Azikh, Cyneah, Gidan, and the new recruits who knew about the Abbot's abduction more or less guessed why the Abbot's son decided to visit early. As much as they were glad of his early visit, their last hope that Kyran's news was not true was dashed because of it.
They were finally realizing the severity of the Abbot's abduction.
Kyran did not react much to the news about the Abbot's son since he already anticipated it. But he noticed Cyneah had gotten restless as the day of his arrival neared.
Two days before the Abbot's son arrived at the HQ, Kyran gathered a team of five that would accompany him to the wilderness.
Although they still had enough supplies, Kyran already received a message from Gael that the Armakeans were preparing again for another raid. This time, they planned to send three magical beasts along with their main force.
Kyran knew the Eidums were not ready for another raid. However, they could defend their borders better than before. This was because they were now more aware of their shortcomings and strengths. Using their strengths, they could keep their enemies at bay more effectively.
But Kyran knew defending like that was not enough, especially in the upcoming raid. Three magical beasts would be present in the next raid, after all. While he could face those three alone, he was not omnipotent. He needed at least a few of the Eidums to kill some of the beasts and reduce their number to lessen the pressure on the others defending the walls.
Because of this, Kyran decided to take the team of five to the wilderness to teach them how to fight beasts efficiently.
Kyran and the team of five left early in the morning. Since the plan to go to the wilderness was sudden, Azikh and Gidan were the only ones who knew of their departure.
When Cyneah heard their departure, it was already late in the morning.
For the past few days, Cyneah never had a chance to talk to Kyran. If he were not busy training the fighters, he would be sparring with Gidan. And when night comes, he would either be in the archive or nowhere to be found.
Cyneah even had a feeling that Kyran was avoiding her.
Of course, this was not the case. Kyran was only busy with a lot of things that he could not spare even a few minutes on other things. Even his rest time was reduced so he could add more time to learning more about the plane's magic law and the state of affairs of other nations.
It took Kyran and the team of five almost eight hours before they arrived in the wilderness. It would have taken them longer if they continued to travel normally. Kyran took them into his Void world after a few hours, reducing the time they would need to reach the wilderness.
Upon arrival, Kyran activated his cloaking array to ensure beasts would come at them. Once he noticed several beasts approaching, he let out the five Eidums and had them fight.
At first, the five Eidums used offensive spells to attack the beasts. Their move was more of a reflex because they were shocked to find three beasts before them right after they left Kyran's 'storage.'
When they managed to calm down and better assess the situation, they started to use what they had learned during their training. They no longer cast offensive spells but support spells. By doing this, they were able to restrain the beasts' movements and attack them with their weapons more effectively.
Since they were not like Kyran, who could behead a beast in one strike, they aimed at their weak spots, like the eyes, joints, sometimes feet, or even their mouths. It did not take long for them to find their own rhythm by continuously fighting with the beasts.
At the start, they were only able to fight two at the same time. But the more they got used to it, the more they could fight more beasts. Their progress was astounding, and even Kyran was surprised. Nevertheless, they would still make some mistakes occasionally, forcing Kyran to step in. If not, one or two would have died or suffered fatal injuries.
When Kyran was satisfied with their performance, he also taught them how to dissect.
All of them learned fast because they already had experience in dissecting when they were still students in the Abbey.
Kyran and the five Eidums stayed in the wilderness for almost two days.
Kyran was not worried to leave the HQ because he left Gael to watch over the place.
Finally, when they returned to the HQ, they found the place abuzz.
The Abbot's son had arrived.
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