"Strange, where are they?" It was already around one in the afternoon. The men Stet had sent out had returned one after another, but none of them had encountered Wihans.
Stet was in a foul mood. He had always disliked Wihans, but the man's backing was too powerful for him to act against lightly.
"My lord, we found no sign of Lord Wihans."
"My lord, we searched the east, but found no sign of them."
"My lord, we searched the west, but found no trace of them."
"My lord, we found no sign of them in the south either. We didn't take anyone farther inland."
"My lord, we also searched the northern shore, but found no sign of them."
The squads of soldiers he had sent out were now returning one after another. None brought good news, and Stet's mood grew steadily worse.
The troops were ready to leave the island, yet several hours had passed without that group returning. Stet was furious.
"We'll wait another half hour. If he still hasn't returned, we march at once!" Stet said, his face livid. He made up his mind to report this to the commander, no matter how powerful Wihans's backers were.
The fighting at the front was growing desperate. No matter how powerful Wihans's backing was, he could not be allowed to delay their departure.
"Lord Stet, look over there!" someone beside him suddenly exclaimed.
"What happened?" Stet asked impatiently.
When he turned his head and looked in the direction the man indicated, his gaze froze.
Two figures floated in the sky, then vanished in an instant.
"Flight? Since when were there mages on the island?" Stet said blankly, staring at the empty sky.
Just then, several men ran out from the island's interior, carrying a corpse.
"Lord Stet! Lord Stet!