Chapter 64: The Mission Briefing
The cheers slowly faded.
Students began leaving the training grounds in small groups, still discussing the leadership assessment.
Some congratulated Noah.
Others simply nodded in respect as they passed.
He was no longer the unknown F-Rank freshman.
He had earned his place.
Eric threw an arm around Noah’s shoulder.
"Our leader just won the whole assessment."
Noah smiled helplessly.
"It was a squad victory."
Eric laughed.
"Listen to him."
"Already acting humble."
Luna walked ahead with her hands in her pockets.
"You should get used to it."
"People are going to expect things from you now."
Noah looked at the silver wolf badge pinned to his uniform.
"...That’s what worries me."
Sophia smiled softly.
"That’s probably why Professor Ingrid chose you."
Damien quietly added,
"People who seek authority..."
"...usually shouldn’t have it."
Noah looked at him.
"You always talk like you’ve lived three lives."
Damien shrugged.
"...Maybe I read too much."
Eric laughed.
"No."
"You definitely do."
The five continued toward the academy courtyard.
The evening breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers from the gardens.
Students filled the pathways.
Some practiced magic.
Others sparred beneath the trees.
The academy felt alive.
As they reached the central fountain...
A loud voice called out.
"Blackwood!"
Noah turned.
It was Cedric.
He approached with his usual calm smile.
"You passed."
"You did too."
Cedric nodded.
"My trial wasn’t as philosophical as yours."
Eric blinked.
"You know what his trial was?"
Cedric chuckled.
"The professors told us after the assessment."
He looked toward Noah.
"I wanted to congratulate you."
"And..."
He extended his hand.
"Our duel."
"No assessment."
"No rankings."
"Just training."
"When you’re free."
Noah smiled.
"I’d like that."
They shook hands.
Not as rivals.
But as fellow swordsmen.
From a balcony overlooking the courtyard...
Cain watched the exchange.
One of his squad members stood beside him.
"You could’ve challenged Blackwood today."
Cain shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"He’s still growing."
His gaze remained on Noah.
"...So am I."
The following morning...
The academy returned to its normal rhythm.
Combat classes.
Strategy lectures.
Mana control exercises.
For nearly a week...
Life was peaceful.
Noah spent every spare hour training.
Not to become stronger overnight.
But to improve the basics.
Footwork.
Balance.
Timing.
Breathing.
Professor Kael occasionally watched from a distance.
He never interrupted.
Only nodded when Noah corrected his own mistakes.
One evening...
As Noah finished training...
He noticed Laura sitting beneath the same ancient oak tree.
She was reading a worn leather-bound book.
The fading sunlight painted her silver hair in shades of gold.
For a moment...
She looked like any ordinary student.
She looked up.
"You’ve improved."
Noah smiled.
"I’m trying."
"You always are."
He hesitated.
Then sat on the opposite side of the tree.
For a while...
Neither spoke.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
Just...
Comfortable.
After several minutes...
Noah finally asked,
"Why do you always sit here?"
Laura closed her book.
She looked toward the distant mountains beyond the academy walls.
"...It’s quiet."
Noah nodded.
"It is."
Another silence.
Then Laura stood.
"The mission to Eldermere..."
She adjusted the strap of her satchel.
"...Be careful."
Noah looked at her curiously.
"You know about it?"
She smiled faintly.
"The academy talks."
She turned to leave.
After taking a few steps...
She stopped.
Without looking back...
She quietly said,
"Sometimes..."
"...the smallest missions leave the deepest scars."
Then she walked away.
Leaving Noah alone beneath the old oak tree.
That night...
Noah finally remembered the sealed envelope Professor Astrid had given him.
She had told him not to open it until tomorrow evening.
He looked at the wax seal.
The academy crest remained unbroken.
He placed it carefully inside his desk drawer.
"...One more day."
Far beyond Valhalla Academy...
A merchant caravan slowly traveled along a winding mountain road.
The lead wagon carried supplies marked for Eldermere Village.
The merchants laughed around a campfire.
Unaware...
That from the dense forest nearby...
Several cloaked figures silently watched them.
One lowered a spyglass.
"They’ll arrive in three days."
Another nodded.
"...Good."
The leader looked toward the distant lights of Eldermere.
"Everything is proceeding as planned."
No one noticed...
A pair of crimson eyes watching the cloaked figures from high in the trees.
Neither side knew...
They were being observed.
The next evening...
The academy clock struck seven.
The sun had disappeared behind the western mountains, leaving Valhalla Academy bathed in the warm glow of lanterns.
Noah sat alone in his dormitory.
The sealed envelope rested on his desk.
Professor Astrid’s words echoed in his mind.
"Do not open it until tomorrow evening."
"...Guess it’s time."
He broke the wax seal.
Inside were three neatly folded documents.
The first contained the mission details.
The second was a map.
The third...
A handwritten note.
Noah unfolded the mission report first.
Valhalla Academy
First-Year Field Mission
Mission Code: F-01
Destination: Eldermere Village
Mission Type: Escort / Investigation
Assigned Squad: Squad Seven
Mission Supervisor: Professor Astrid
Primary Objective
Escort a merchant caravan safely from Eastgate to Eldermere Village.
Secondary Objective
Investigate recent reports of unusual disappearances along the Graypine Road.
Known Threat Level
Estimated: Low
Goblin sightings.
Occasional wolf packs.
Possible bandit activity.
Important Notice
Recent reports remain inconsistent.
Exercise caution.
Noah frowned.
"...Disappearances?"
That hadn’t been mentioned before.
He unfolded the map.
The route stretched through valleys, forests, and mountain roads.
Several landmarks were marked.
Eastgate.
Graypine Forest.
Old Stone Bridge.
Eldermere Village.
One location...
Had been circled in red ink.
Whisper Creek.
No explanation accompanied it.
Finally...
Noah opened the handwritten note.
Unlike the official documents...
This one contained only a single sentence.
In Professor Astrid’s handwriting.
"Do not ignore what the villagers consider ordinary."
No signature.
Nothing else.
A knock came at the door.
Eric walked in carrying a loaf of bread.
"...Mission briefing?"
Noah nodded.
Eric immediately sat down.
"So?"
Within minutes...
The rest of Squad Seven arrived.
Sophia carefully studied the map.
Damien read the mission report twice.
Luna leaned against the wall with folded arms.
Eric scratched his head.
"So..."
"We’re basically caravan guards."
Damien looked up.
"No."
He tapped the report.
"We’re investigators."
Sophia nodded.
"The escort is only the official assignment."
"The disappearances are the real concern."
Luna pointed toward the red circle.
"Whisper Creek."
"No explanation."
"I don’t like unexplained circles."
Noah spread the map across the desk.
"Let’s think."
"If people are disappearing..."
"Where would it happen?"
Eric pointed toward the forest.
"The trees."
Damien shook his head.
"Too obvious."
Sophia pointed at the bridge.
"Limited movement."
Luna looked at Whisper Creek.
"I’d start there."
Noah listened without interrupting.
Each opinion had merit.
After several minutes...
He smiled.
"Good."
The others looked at him.
"We don’t have enough information to decide tonight."
"So we won’t guess."
"When we arrive..."
"We’ll investigate before acting."
Damien nodded approvingly.
"Agreed."
Sophia smiled.
"That sounds like the safest approach."
Eric stretched.
"I was hoping you’d say..."
’Charge into the forest!’"
Luna rolled her eyes.
"You always hope that."
The planning continued for another hour.
By the time everyone left...
The mission no longer felt like a simple escort.
It felt...
Real.
The following morning...
The academy gates were unusually busy.
Several merchant wagons waited outside.
Workers loaded food, medicine, tools, and supplies.
Large horses stamped impatiently against the stone road.
Professor Astrid stood beside the lead wagon.
Clipboard in hand.
"Squad Seven."
The five hurried over.
"You depart at sunrise tomorrow."
She handed Noah a leather-bound travel journal.
"Every squad leader keeps one."
Noah accepted it carefully.
"What’s it for?"
"Record everything."
"Weather."
"Encounters."
"Mistakes."
"Observations."
She paused.
"Especially the things that seem unimportant."
Noah remembered the handwritten note.
"Do not ignore what the villagers consider ordinary."
Astrid looked over the squad one final time.
"Rest well."
"Tomorrow..."
"You stop being academy students."
She looked toward the open road beyond the gates.
"...And begin learning what the world is actually like."
That night...
A gentle rain began falling over Valhalla Academy.
Students slept peacefully.
Lanterns flickered in the quiet streets.
Everything seemed calm.
Miles away...
Near Whisper Creek...
The rain fell upon an abandoned shrine hidden deep within Graypine Forest.
Water dripped from a weathered stone statue whose face had long since eroded away.
Then...
A pair of muddy footprints appeared.
One after another.
Walking toward the shrine.
But...
There was no one there.
Only footprints.
Appearing by themselves in the rain.
They stopped at the shrine’s entrance.
The old wooden doors slowly creaked open.
From the darkness inside...
A child softly laughed.
Then...
Silence.