Freedom on the Brink

"Chairman... is he perhaps beyond saving?"

Inside Regina's Royal Palace hall, soot-streaked officials had gathered together, some still with straw clinging to their bodies. Having just been rescued from prison, they clearly had not even had time to tidy themselves up before rushing into action. At last, Regina had been pulled back from the chaos.

By now, the fires burning throughout the city had been extinguished, and The Church's people were either dead or on the run. The populace remained terrified, but under the officials' efforts to maintain order, the capital had finally been stabilized. All that remained were streets scarred beyond recognition, and no one knew how long recovery would take.

Then, when Benjamin returned to Regina, they too hurried to the Royal Palace hall to discuss what to do next.

"After the war, we'll raise monuments for the fallen heroes and mourn them," Benjamin said, his face hard and his voice low. "Where is Ikor's current ruler? We need to contact the army as soon as possible."

At those words, an elderly man stepped out from among the officials and nodded at Benjamin.

"Headmaster, I am the executive prime minister Caritas sent to govern Ikor. When the mages rescued me, I had already written a letter and sent it by fast horse to the border garrison." He spoke in an orderly manner. "Also, I sent word to Caritas and Frieden as quickly as possible, informing them of everything that happened here."

"That's good..."

Benjamin nodded, feeling slightly more at ease.

However, at that moment, the sound-transmitting wooden chip in his bag abruptly rang out.

"Reporting to the Headmaster, this is the latest information we have uncovered." The voice of an Academy's Dark Division spy came from within. Benjamin did not bother with anything else and played it aloud