CHAPTER 216: HEARTY MEAL

The commotion woke the last few remaining soldiers, who were just as shocked as Hal to find that they, too, had rested quite well.

Unbeknownst to them, they’ve been allowed to sleep for a little over nine hours.

The older men realized that everyone had woken as well, and since it was about time for them to move anyway, Cedar stood up and took the chance to announce:

"Medics, come and prepare the rations, we shall eat and rehydrate before returning to the sealed entrance," the middle-aged man instructed, his voice carried by the stale wind to every Imperial Army Wizard.

Hal, meanwhile, returned to Ennya’s side.

His help would apparently only be needed for the next meal. He shall stay with his platoon for now.

There wasn’t much preparation to be done, so everyone merely waited for the meals and drinks to be distributed.

A few minutes later, the medics started handing out packets of nutritious and filling pastes with a bit of meat.

It didn’t look the least bit appealing to the taste buds. However, it will do...

There was also a small container of water handed to each soldier, although the portions were nowhere near satisfactory.

Still, the army wizards were thankful that they were able to have a rest far greater than they expected and something to eat and drink after.

Hal, Ennya, and their squadron members sipped the paste and drank their portions of water like the rest.

The meal only filled their bellies by a little over half, and the water didn’t soothe their parched throats enough.

But it would do for now.

Later, before they embrace their fate and emerge from the sealed entrance, they would have another unexpected, morale-boosting meal.

It was currently afternoon, and it would be nighttime before they arrived at the sealed entrance.

A few tiny burps later, everyone was ready to move.

But before they did, Cedar decided to come clean, as it would be impossible to hide the existence of the Fourteenth Regiment.

Morale would plummet, and the soldiers would likely inwardly panic once someone realized the truth and the news spread.

It would be far better to tell them ahead of time and regulate the information.

"Everyone, I’m sure you’re confused as to why we’re returning to the entrance we entered from, so I’ll tell you the reason." Cedar began. "While you guys were asleep earlier, Rowan and I encountered a small force of the Fourteenth Regiment."

Emmanuel then stepped forward to continue the narrative:

"I’m Emmanuel, the acting leader of Lord Targon’s Boulder Guards."

The members of the Thirteenth Regiment were naturally a bit dumbfounded, not expecting to have already rendezvoused with the Fourteenth while they were asleep.

"Unfortunately, it is inadvisable to continue heading east, as the enemies are aplenty and Lord Targon is fighting a mighty opponent.

He wouldn’t be able to cover for everyone.

And so, our small force is here to assist you in breaking through from the sealed entrance. A majority of your pursuers should be circling the Az Mountain Range as of now, so there should be fewer opponents for us to worry about.

We probably have to fight another battle.

However, we’ve received word from the empire that reinforcements are on their way to bail us out, so as long as we break through here, we’ll be able to return to the empire borders."

Emmanuel’s masterful choice of words allowed him to withhold crucial information without destroying what remained of the Thirteenth Regiment’s morale, though the last part of what he said was an absolute lie.

They still couldn’t contact the empire, and it was unknown whether reinforcements were on the way.

The acting leader of the Boulder Guards only said such a thing to boost morale slightly.

The members of the Fourteenth Regiment were also warned not to say anything about their current situation, as the Thirteenth Regiment was their best bet in making it out of this ordeal alive.

Nonetheless, Emmanuel’s efforts were effective, and the morale of the entire Thirteenth Regiment, including the prospect platoons, was significantly boosted.

There was hope!

Hal, of course, looked the part, if even just to boost the midget’s morale.

He knew what was truly going on.

Ready, eager, and even a bit confident, the Thirteenth Regiment lined up, ready to march back to the sealed entrance.

In front of the formation was Cedar and half of the Zephyr Battalion, the Prospect Platoons in the middle, and the Fourteenth Regiment positioned at the rear, separated from the Thirteenth Regiment by a thin layer of Zephyr Battalion members.

They couldn’t be allowed to mingle with those from the other regiment, just in case.

Soon, the march began, and time passed as the heavy thuds of coordinated footsteps sounded.

Hal and Ennya were getting better at it as well.

Left, left, left, right, left...

Their march echoed.

Around four hours later, stomachs began growling once more, and the morale boost provided by Emmanuel’s masterful choice of words had diminished considerably due to hunger.

Only a nice meal would restore it.

The wizards of both the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Regiment were hoping for a break, which, to their surprise, actually came:

"Halt!" Cedar declared, "We shall stop here and eat before heading out into battle!"

They were only an hour away from the sealed entrance.

If they went any closer, the more sensitive among the Fellkin might detect them.

Now was the best time to take a short meal break.

"Temporarily dismissed! Wait for the medics to hand you your portions!"

The wizards of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Regiment weren’t expecting anything other than paste rations and the same small container of water.

But concerningly, even the normal distribution was taking longer this time.

Did they finally run out of resources and have to divide the measly paste packets into two portions?

A heavy atmosphere once again began to fill the air, growing thicker as minutes passed.

What else could the medics be doing if not dividing the portions?

To the surprise of the closest wizard to the distribution area...

A medic approached—warm and generous servings of rice, vegetables, and meat, with a satisfying bottle of cold water in hand.

The wizard was dumbfounded for a few moments, receiving the rations with shaking hands.

Where the hell did they store these!?