After talking to Nahir and the old man, Kyran left to let them discuss the things he told them by themselves.
Initially, he planned to visit the Archive again and continue his research, but
Nahir and the old man already provided most of the information he needed. Thus, he now wanted to devise a plan. He could have gone back to his room and sorted all the information, but since he had not heard Gael's update on the Armakea's side, he decided to go outside and help guard the borders.
Standing on top of the steel wall, Kyran scanned the field below.
Although two of the plane's four moons were up in the night sky, the scene below was still covered in darkness. Those unfamiliar with the border's terrain would have been on guard, believing that beasts might lurk in the shadows. Kyran was probably the only one who could confidently tell that no beasts were lurking there. Instead, it was Gael who was hiding in the shadows.
'What's the latest from the Armakea's side?'
Kyran connected to Gael as soon as he sat on the outer edge of the steel wall.
The few Eidums on duty saw Kyran and greeted him with a nod before moving to their designated positions. They did not know he would be on duty, but seeing him there was reassuring. The last raid they experienced was still fresh in their minds, and they were in awe at his strength when he faced the horde alone. Besides this, Kyran had taught them many things these past few days, and most of them had grown to respect him regardless of his appearance and age.
'Master,' Gael responded at once. He then relayed his report while remaining in the shadows, 'A cargo arrived in their base this afternoon. Unfortunately, I cannot get close and check what's inside without alarming the knight guarding it. However, I learned it carried something meant for the three magical beasts.'
Kyran furrowed his brows.
Although the cargo seemed important, he was more concerned about the knight guarding it.
In Somuli, there were three paths one could take after learning magic. They could choose to become a mage, a cleric, or a knight. Most mages would go to the Kingdom of Cretea because they were known for their powerful mages. In contrast, clerics could become an Eidum and study in the Abbey. Finally, those who chose to become a knight would go to Armakea and study. Some even chose to stay because Armakea is the second-largest nation in Somuli, with the Kingdom of Cretea as the first.
In any case, knights in Somuli are similar to the Human plane's combat mages. They are prominent both in hand-to-hand combat and magic. However, there is a big difference between a combat mage and a knight; that was their main offensive skill.
The hand-to-hand skills of combat mages and their magic casting are considered balanced. Knights focus more on hand-to-hand with magic as their secondary or supporting skills. Because of this, the latter are known for their great stamina and defences. Much like an Abjurer without the use of Arrays. Some knights even possessed powerful destructive strengths because they utilized their magic well with their combat skills.
In a sense, what Kyran taught the Eidums could be similar to what a knight would normally do. The only difference was that the Eidums did not possess a powerful physical body and relied more on support-type magic to strengthen themselves or weaken their targets.
Kyran was already aware of the existence of knights in Armakea. However, it was the first time Gael admitted to being unable to do a thing because he was afraid of alarming a knight.
From this, Kyran gleaned that that knight had a high-level perception.
It should be noted that in Somuli, one's perception was synonymous with their level.
"A cargo and a high-level knight," Kyran muttered. Putting aside what was in the cargo, he was more concerned about the Armakea dispatching high-level knights on the next raid.
'Master, I believe they will attack soon, with the latest being tomorrow night.'
'Why do you think that?'
Although Kyran asked the question, he also agreed with Gael's assumption.
'Because the knights under the Prince of Armakea's leadership will arrive tomorrow morning. I haven't confirmed their numbers or level yet, but I heard they do not pale compared to the knight guarding the cargo.'
'Seems like the Prince of Armakea will lead the next attack.'
'Yes, that seems to be the case.'
Kyran felt an incoming headache. The Eidums' overall strength was still lacking, in his opinion. However, he could confidently say they could win if they faced a beast horde with similar numbers from the first raid. But if three magical beasts were added to the equation, not to mention several beast-likes and complete beings, they would suffer a complete defeat.
Of course, that was if Kyran and Nahir did not participate. If they participated, then there was no need to weigh the chances.
To Kyran, winning was the only possible outcome for them.
But if the Armakea dispatched high-level knights, Kyran was not 100% confident he could win against them. He knew fighting them alone would be troublesome unless he used more than 30% of Draconic magic.
Unfortunately, Kyran could not use more than 30% of Draconic magic. It was not because he was afraid Flos's people or Ruin's essence would recognize him if he used too much magic. After all, he had the Shaiha shielding his aura and energy. What he was afraid of was destroying the plane.
Kyran once tried using more than 30% of Draconic magic, and the sudden increase in his strength was excessive even when it only went up by 1%. He could destroy a Magus with a flick of his finger, and that did not include excess force afterwards.
After mulling over the problem for a few seconds, Kyran finally gave Gael his order.
'Find the route the Prince of Armakea had taken. Inform me as soon as possible.'
'Do you plan to intercept them, master?'
'I can't have them joining the attack,' Kyran replied, neither confirming nor denying Gael's question.
'Understood.'
With that, Gael left.
Kyran took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky.
Having two moons in the sky meant they were halfway through the night's first half. Once all four were up, it meant it was already midnight. After that, every time a moon went down, it showed they were closer to sunrise.
The Somuli's four moons did not usually appear at the same time. It just so happened that all four were active this year, which resulted in the plane's time becoming longer.
Usually, they would only have one moon. When that happened, time in Somuli was half faster than in the Human plane.
If there were a year where all four moons appeared, then there would also be a year where all moons would be inactive.
During that year, time in Somuli would run faster and more erratic. That was the state of the plane when Cyneah arrived.
This explained why Cyneah had been gone for seven years, yet it was hard to pinpoint the exact time difference between Somuli and the Human plane.
'Would the erratic time difference of Somuli affect the Human plane if I opened a path to connect the two?'
The sudden thought took Kyran by surprise. He then smiled wryly and sighed.
It appeared he had already made a decision without being fully aware of it.
'Hm?'
He heard the Eidums nearby making a ruckus and turned to look at them.
There he found them greeting and talking to Cyneah. He also saw one of them pointing in his direction, meaning she was looking for him.
Kyran took a deep breath. He was not surprised to see Cyneah out here looking for him. As a matter of fact, the real reason he did not return to his room was because he knew she would seek him out.
After telling the 'truth' to Nahir and the old man, Kyran knew being alone with Cyneah would be dangerous. To be precise, she would be in danger around him.
Kyran watched Cyneah look in his direction. Seeing her slightly furrowed brows, he knew she could barely see his silhouette.
Cyneah thanked the Eidum, who told her where Kyran was, and taking a deep breath, she made her way to him. As she drew near him, the beating of her heart grew louder to the point that she could hardly breathe. Nevertheless, she did her best to mask her unease as she approached him.
Kyran stood up but did not attempt to meet Cyneah halfway. He only watched her in silence and waited patiently.
Finally, Cyneah stood before him, her mirror-like eyes looking at him imploringly.
Kyran stared back at her. Although her line of sight was still slightly off, he could see his image reflected in her eyes.
"Why did you not tell them the truth about me?" She asked.
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