Noon, Ereno Royal Capital Naval Port.
As the convoy of black cars rolled to a stop at the port, John and his companions finally set foot on solid ground after a morning on the road.
After a brief exchange with the navy major general overseeing their transport, John accepted his invitation to the bridge of the flagship Iron Anvil.
He chatted with the officer about life and customs in Faoken while having Wendy count the troops boarding for the return voyage.
Hawk and the others had previously been sent to the First Military Academy for six months of further training.
With that in mind, John brought only four of the Five Tiger Officers, along with Laiya and Wendy, back with him this time.
The rest remained at the Imperial First Military Academy to hone their command skills and were not expected back in Faoken until after mid-June.
John had actually wanted Wendy to stay at the academy too. Unfortunately, she had scored just 32 points on the mid-month exam, breaking the academy's all-time record for the lowest score and taking first place on the command department's list of hopeless cases. Any chance of her becoming a commander was gone.
John had swallowed his pride and asked Headmaster Tolovsky to review Wendy's performance and personally oversee another test.
Tolovsky monitored Wendy's mind throughout. He confirmed that she had no intention of failing on purpose and had answered every question in earnest.
Yet she scored 29.
Even Tolovsky fell silent. When the old Demon King looked at Wendy, a rare hint of astonishment crossed his face.
Once John knew Pighead Squad Leader Wendy had no hope of becoming a commander, he could only add the equally dejected Wendy to the early return list, his face dark.
Wendy cheerfully counted names, diligent as