CHAPTER 1034: MORE DOUBTS

Most of the candidates were still lying in the infirmary, their bodies drained after the relentless training.

The others who could still walk back to their quarters were ordered to stay in bed, with medical staff coming directly to their rooms instead of waiting for them to collapse later.

No risks were taken. Every faint tremor in their bodies or shallow breath, or any signs, was treated as a warning sign. Just as Jessica was instructing them to do.

The staff moved quickly and quietly, filling the corridors with the steady shuffle of boots and hushed voices.

While that was going on, Erend, Billy, Adrien, and Jessica walked back into their office after receiving the latest reports from Thomas, Conrad, and the other staffers.

Jessica’s eyes lingered on Erend as they entered.

He looked exactly the same as he always did. Calm and steady without the faintest sign of fatigue. But she couldn’t push away her unease.

Facing twenty candidates in one day should have broken any normal man. Even a man with Magic power.

"Sergeant Drake," Jessica finally said, her tone carrying more worry than she intended, "are you alright?"

Erend turned to her and gave a small smile. "I’m alright, Major. You don’t have to worry."

Billy and Adrien exchanged a glance at her concern.

Billy leaned back on his chair with a faint smirk. "You really don’t need to worry, Major. Erend’s got way more stamina than the rest of us put together."

He didn’t explain further about what Erend is, even though a part of him wanted to.

Adrien nodded with his stern expression as always. "Something like this is nothing for him. He could probably handle a hundred more and still look the same. Instead of worrying about him, it is better to focus on finishing today’s report."

Jessica blinked at them, then nodded slowly.

"Understood." She lowered her gaze to her desk and began working, though a trace of doubt still lingered in her eyes.

Erend also sat down and drowned himself in the stack of paperwork, but his thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere.

Even as he signed reports and skimmed through data, Arty’s condition kept surfacing in his mind.

The troubling hints from what he heard from Sylmira gnawed at him.

He glanced at Adrien, Billy, and Jessica, their heads bent to their own tasks.

"Should I tell them? Or wait until I know more? But if I bring it up too soon and affect this project we’ll only draw more questions from General Lennard... questions I can’t answer yet. Captain and Billy must be very concerned about Arty if I told them and maybe wanted this project to be halted for now after they heard about Arty."

A quiet sigh escaped him. For now, he decided to wait.

He needed more clues before revealing anything. He would trust Eccar and Krono to track down that Dragonborn quickly.

Until then he also needed to meet Arty again when she woke up just to be sure of her condition.

Erend closed his last folder and exhaled a long breath, rubbing his neck before pushing back his chair.

"Can I go to dinner now?"

Adrien looked up and waved a hand casually. "Sure. You’ve had the heaviest work today, you can rest sooner than the rest of us."

Erend gave a small nod and a smile. "I appreciate that, Captain."

He stood and walked out of the office.

After finishing his dinner, Erend walked back to his room in silence.

The corridors were quieter now, most of the staff either gone to rest or still occupied tending to the candidates.

He shut the door behind him and sat down heavily on his bed, letting the stillness of the room surround him.

Slowly, he closed his eyes and reached inward, calling out to Eccar through the bond of their telepathy.

The response came swiftly, Eccar’s voice clear in his mind.

"Erend? Why are you calling? Did something happen? Is something wrong with Arty again?"

"Nothing is wrong," Erend answered calmly, though his voice carried the weight of thought. "I just need to know about your progress."

Through their connection, Erend could sense the subtle shift of relief from Eccar, like tension releasing from a taut string.

"Oh. That’s good. I thought something happened to Arty again." Eccar replied.

"Nothing for now," Erend replied after a pause.

Eccar exhaled through the link, then his voice steadied. He said, "We’ve set up camp. Right now we’re at the edge of an uncharted mountain range. The same place where the last sighting was reported. The terrain here is a nightmare, Erend. All I can see is steep cliffs, uneven paths, and strange plants twisting out of the ground, and rocks that don’t feel like normal rocks at all. It’s like the whole place doesn’t want us here. We don’t even know which direction is right."

Erend listened in silence, his brows knitting slightly. "Any signs about the Dragon yet? Anything at all?"

"Nothing so far," Eccar said grimly. "I can’t even sense their Magic. It’s like the entire mountain is shrouded, hiding everything from us."

Erend’s jaw tightened, his silence heavy with thought as the bond between them grew quiet for a moment.

Erend let out a long, steady sigh before speaking again. "You and Krono should continue without me for now. I’ll go to Arty soon to make sure what’s happening with her."

"Then do that. Don’t worry about this part, brother. Krono and I can handle it. You should put your focus where it matters more—on Arty." Eccar’s answer came quickly, his tone firm.

Erend’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Got it."

The bond faded, the connection dissolving into silence until only the quiet of his room remained.

He let his body sink back into the mattress, staring up at the ceiling for a moment, the weight of everything pressing against his chest.

But he forced himself to close his eyes.

Thinking about it endlessly now would only wind his mind tighter and keep him restless.

He needed to be steady, not straining himself with questions that had no answers yet.

With that thought, Erend exhaled slowly, letting the tension slip from his body.

He pulled the blanket over himself and let his eyes shut fully, deciding to surrender to sleep earlier than usual.

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