It had been several days since the confrontation between Commander Marc Anderson and his elite unit against Mitrai, and since then, searches had been underway to find Harsh, but the results were not positive.
"Tchh... even today we haven't found anything, and to think that Felix was a spy for Moebius," said one of the soldiers participating in the search for Harsh.
"Really, who would have believed that, that he had been sent to assassinate the commander?" said another.
Frustration and shock were present among them; aside from Felix's betrayal and the appearance of a dragon, Harsh's disappearance followed by his exploits surprised many.
"Who would have known that a person without mana could have achieved such feats?"
"Really, that's why we have to find him," said another.
Rumors about Harsh's exploits spread like wildfire throughout the Southern Extermination Company. Some of those who had survived the battle with Mitrai said that Harsh resembled a reaper who slaughtered monsters, and without even realizing it, some began to call Harsh the Scarlet Reaper because of his flaming hair.
Although it was a difficult task, the search continued as a way to boost morale after the recent tragedy, as many of them wanted to find the hero of the Southern Monster Extermination Company.
But despite all their efforts, they could not find him, so they called off the search.
"I think we've searched enough for today. Let's return to the fortress to rest, then return another time to continue the search," said one of the soldiers assigned to search for Harsh.
"Yes, you're right." Said another.
The others nodded and they all returned to Orgos together.
"Commander, the search team has just returned," said a soldier who had just arrived.
"Okay, tell them to report in," said Commander Marc Anderson.
"Okay, sir," replied the soldier.
A few moments later, the members of the day's search team came to see the commander to report in.
"Good morning, sir," said the leader.
"Good morning, and take your seats," said Commander Marc Anderson, then gestured for them to begin their report.
They began to talk, then five minutes later, they ended the report because there wasn't much to say.
"Well, thank you for your hard work, you can go rest," said Commander Marc Anderson.
A few hours later, in the Orgos fortress, Commander Marc Anderson had organized a meeting with the senior officers of the extermination company.
"Good morning everyone, I think you're already aware of the current situation, and well, not everything went as planned; this company kept all its promises. Congratulations to all for your efforts," said Commander Marc Anderson.
"Thank you!!" they said calmly.
"Now, moving on to the most important matter of the last few days, and that is the return to activity of Moebius," said Commander Marc Anderson.
"That's true, they hadn't appeared in almost a decade, but to reappear suddenly, and in such a manner, is strange," said one of the senior officers present.
Moebius was a criminal organization whose goal was to overthrow the established order. So their reappearance was a problem for the Empire, which had to balance the increase in monsters and the return of Moebius.
"I even find it strange that they're making a comeback now, with the increase in the monster population," another said, and the others nodded.
Commander Marc Anderson stroked his chin in deep thought, then said, "The most important thing is to relay the information to the Imperial Army and tell them that Moebius is potentially targeting the leaders of our armed forces."
Then someone added, "What about the young man from the Silva family? Should we continue the search!?"
Immediately, silence fell over everyone present during the meeting, as this was not an easy topic to discuss. If Harsh had been just a simple soldier or a nobleman, it would have been no problem, but he came from the Grand Army, and regardless of his lack of magical skill, he was still an important figure.
"We'll stop the search." Said Commander Marc Anderson.
"You... you're sure!?" said one of the assembled high-ranking officers with a slight hesitation, which just showed how troubled the subject of Harsh's disappearance was.
"Don't worry, I will assume all the consequences as commander of this campaign, since he disappeared in my presence," said Commander Marc Anderson.
"Are you sure, Commander?"
"Yes!" he replied.
"And regarding this, I have already sent a letter to Julius Silva describing the circumstances of his son's disappearance," added Commander Marc Anderson.
What worried Commander Marc Anderson most was the presence of a dragon in such a place. Although the dragon was powerful, it was nothing like the dragon of fifteen years ago. This only reinforced his apprehension about the unfolding of recent events.
At the same time, news of Harsh's disappearance finally reached the Silva family estate, and the reaction to this news was mixed. Although Harsh's disappearance wasn't surprising due to his disability, the news of his exploits surprised many, including his siblings.
"What do you think of the news about Harsh?"
"What do you mean, Leon?"
"I'm talking about Harsh's famous exploits. I think his disappearance was a bit embellished," Leon said.
Then he added, "Um, I think Father sent him there to..."
The other man caught the culprit mid-sentence and said, "If I were you, I wouldn't finish that sentence. Because if anyone ever listened to you and it ended up in Father's ears, you'd be in serious trouble."
"No matter what you think, don't forget that Harsh is our brother."
"You're right, Grey, but what I said went beyond my thoughts," Leon replied.
He was talking with Grey, who was the youngest son of the Silva family.
The doors to Julius's office were flung open by someone, and that person entered with purpose. It was a young woman in her twenties. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin. She was wearing a blue uniform with a cape. She was followed behind by several servants.
"Father, is this true?"
"Hello, Olivia," Julius said calmly, without looking up from his documents.
"Sorry, sir, we couldn't stop her from coming in," one of the servants said.
"It's okay, you can go," Julius said.
Then they left his office.
Olivia was the first daughter of the Silva family and Julius's third child, but she had no interest in any fight for the family inheritance.
"Father, if Harsh is really missing, we absolutely must assemble a search party," Olivia said.
But Julius continued working on his documents and said, "Don't worry about him."
Olivia slammed her hands on her desk to show her displeasure.
Then she said, "Don't tell me you're planning to abandon him!? Huh, Father."
Just then, Julius raised his head and looked at Olivia, then said, "Olivia, Harsh is my child, just like any of you, and I know he won't let anything get to him, and I'm sure he's still alive. He'll come back when he wants, so you don't have to worry about him."
Olivia was surprised because it was the first time their father had said such things about one of his children.
"Don't worry, miss. We've made the necessary arrangements, so if your brother appears, you'll know." Said the commander of the Silva estate knights, Charles Xavier, who had been there from the beginning.
"Phew, okay." Olivia let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, nodded, and then left her father's office.
Olivia, you're home. It's been a long time. How are you?"
"Oh, Lizzie, I'm fine, and you?" Olivia asked.
"I'm fine," she replied.
"And how are things going at the academy?"
"It's going well," Lizzie replied.
Lizzie, Julius's youngest child and Grey's twin sister.
A few moments after Olivia left, Charles Xavier asked, "Will you be okay, my lord?"
"Don't worry," Julius said.
He stood up and went to the window to look out at the grounds, arms behind his back.
And he said, "He's my son, even without mana, he'll survive." He said.
Somewhere in a place filled with darkness, there was a discussion.
"Subject D-745's test failed," a voice said.
"Again, what's the reason?" another voice said.
"Although we reduced the dose, Subject D-745 retained much of his willpower and a strong sense of self, which impacted the test." Another voice replied.
"Hmm... Hmm, I see," said the one who seemed to be the leader.
After a moment of silence, he said, "Continue the search."
"Okay, my lord," replied the other voices.
Then, when the visitors' presence disappeared, an eye appeared in the darkness. It was a blazing red and had a slitted pupil like a feline's.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had said Tuesday, but I was late because I had to catch up on a story I was reading.
Happy reading, the next chapter is scheduled for Sunday.