"Lord Hal?" Hal responded in a confused manner, scratching his head. "Aren’t we comrades? Just Boss Hal will do."
Isolde’s brows raised at the suggestion, slightly amused.
’Well, it’s his platoon...’ mused the headmistress.
Meanwhile, the platoon members had varying reactions, mostly a mix of disbelief and delight.
Thank the gods that Hal Fennec, the Chaos Magna Prospect, wasn’t as arrogant as they believed all youngsters of such status would be.
At least based on this one interaction...
"T-Then, Boss Hal, will you lead us to greatness? I want to be a general in the army, Sir!" suddenly blurted a tall and bald young man with a massive, toned frame.
The guy seemed to be the very definition of "muscle-brained."
"Oh? I like you. What’s your name?" Hal rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb, smiling.
"Rocky... Damn, even your name is..." Hal mumbled the first part, then continued in a normal voice, "Well, it’s good to have goals. I’ll try to lead you to the highest rank I can, but I can’t promise you the position of general. You must be inte— uhh, you must be able to lead an army. You’re probably going to have to study a lot to become one, not just be strong enough."
"Basically, you’re too dumb to be one, is what Lord Hal is saying," chimed a bespectacled, bowl-cut-haired, short young man as he adjusted his glasses.
"What did you just say to me, Shorty Hao?! Say that again and watch me fold you in half!"
The situation was about to escalate further when Headmistress Isolde cleared her throat, glaring at the two youngsters.
"As much as I’d like to allow you all to deepen your bonds, time is ticking. Be on your way first, then talk," she reprimanded sternly.
Pierro and Felix were already in the east, and perhaps Ennya was already at the camp in the southeast.
Only Hal was running late, as he had to be officially appointed as a Magna Prospect before being assigned his own platoon.
They didn’t know when the Fell beasts would be herded closer by the Fellkin.
However, arriving at Parralen Valley earlier would naturally be far better than arriving late.
Some of them didn’t recognize Isolde as a former Magna, as they were all around Hal’s age, but they did recognize her as the Chaos Magna Prospect’s master.
If even Hal obeyed her, then so should they.
The platoon members quickly packed up their tents, finishing in just five minutes.
There were three Manatech jeepneys parked a few dozen meters away, and Hal was led by Rocky to the one in front, which was the largest of the three and could fit ten people.
The other two could only fit five.
Hal chose the seat in the middle, as it would be the one that would allow him to mingle more with his subordinates.
But he didn’t notice that the atmosphere got a bit awkward instead.
"Well then, master, we’ll get going," Hal said, bidding his master farewell from inside the large jeepney.
"Take care, Hal, remember your mission and don’t do anything extra. Your safety is the priority. The mission can fail, but you cannot die, understood?"
"U-Understood, Master..."
Hal had heard the same sentence over and over, and by now, the prioritizations had already been engraved in his heart.
His safety comes first, then the mission’s success.
Soon, the engines of the Manatech jeepneys rumbled, and the convoy slowly advanced toward the open adamantium gates.
It was rather unfortunate that Hal’s visit to the capital had been so short.
However, it gave him motivation to survive, earn more money, and one day purchase a residence here.
The empire was barely hanging on, and the state of the battlefield was uncertain, perhaps even slightly favoring the enemy.
The safest place to live a mundane life would naturally be the city where the emperor resided.
Hal would be able to fight the damn Fell race without worry if his mother and aunt were in the capital.
Headmistress Isolde slowly faded into the distance as the jeepneys passed through the wide streets of Aetherforth, shops and skyscrapers turning into blurs as the vehicles picked up speed.
"So, Boss Hal, do you know how delighted I am that you’re not one of those snobbish elites? The moment you responded to me the way you did earlier, I was like, ’Damn, this guy is different from the rest!’" Rocky blabbed on, gradually breaking the ice and easing the wariness of the other members toward Hal.
Nobody wanted to get stung by an arrogant superior, after all.
"I can feel you’ll become someone great, you know? And I, Rocky, am pretty lucky to be under your leadership!"
Hal was naturally pleased with the guy who was already sucking up to him.
The best part was that Rocky didn’t seem to be doing it intentionally, as the massive, bald young man was only speaking what was on his mind.
"Hahahaha! Correct! As long as you stay alive long enough, with me as your leader, you’ll surely be someone quite renowned in the empire! Perhaps that dream of yours of becoming a general would be within your reach sooner than later, no?" Hal once again responded cordially, engaging in a casual conversation with the talkative subordinate.
Shorty Hao was in another vehicle, so no one rained on Rocky’s parade.
Realizing that Hal was truly approachable, the other members soon chimed in, and the large jeepney quickly grew lively despite the rather awkward beginning.
The members themselves weren’t very close to one another yet, so the situation also helped improve the platoon’s overall synergy.
Some people boldly asked about the Chaos element, his mana affinity, and how he could learn and cast all types of spells so quickly.
Of course, Hal answered some questions as honestly as he could, shocking his subordinates, while he had to lie about the others.
The convoy had already left the capital before they even noticed.