The Achievement Junkie 114 Magic Corps Forced to Ac

People began to flee south, spreading the word and searching for guards to protect them. The entire city was on alert within half an hour of the cetuses' second appearance.

In the palace, a drenched soldier was following some of the castle guards further into the castle. They soon entered a room and closed the doors behind them. The messenger was surprised by what he saw.

Everyone in that room was wearing a purple robe or a cape, signifying their entrance in the Royal Court's Magic Corps, their smallest and most powerful branch of the military.

"Speak."

Looking at the center of the room, the messenger instantly recognized Arnole. "Chief Officer Arnole, I've come to deliver some tragic news. Captains Fronks, Prat, and Tailor have perished along with three hundred men, including those that were already stationed at the docks."

Anole's emotionless face didn't change. It was clear to the messenger didn't care about the captains' lives.

"And what of the Adventurers Association? They didn't join the fight?" asked Arnole.

"No, sir. They said that without an official work order contract they wouldn't be participating in anything involving the Royal Court for the time being. At the moment, they're busy with other assignments."

"Fine. Return to the association building and bring them this." Anole passed a paper along until it reached the messenger.

At first, the messenger was skeptical and unwilling to do so, but after seeing that a work order contract was already written up he had no right to refuse the order.

"Now hurry. The longer you take, the more lives are lost," stated Arnole.

"Yes, sir!"

The messenger ran off back to a fresh horse and left at top speed.

"Arnole, you really think it'll be that easy?" asked a purple hooded man.

"Of course not, but this will stir things up for sure."

"Remember, not everything is so easy to predict," stated the man. "The fact that you called me here to help you is already suspicious. Are you not able to fulfill your assignment on your own?"

"You know I can, this just speeds up the whole process while helping to eliminate a thorn in my side. I'm sure you can understand that. I'm very grateful for your help and will make sure to pay you handsomely for the aid you provide, so don't worry too much," explained Arnole.

"I hope you're right." With the conversation over, the man calmly left the room.

Anole looked around at the others. "Everyone, there's a change of plans. Get ready for battle, you'll soon become the heroes who saved Reinolt City."

"Aye, aye, sir!"

The dozen or so men called back in unison before they all made their exit. They left to change from robes to armor, but they didn't appear to be in a hurry.

At the association building, a knock was heard at the door. No response came so the messenger knocked again. After the third knock, the door was opened by the brawny branch chief.

"What now?"

Without delay, the messenger held up the official work order. "Here, I have brought by the official work order contract, signed by the chief officer himself, requesting the association's aid during Reinolt City's time of need."

"Sorry, no can do." Zariff's response floored the messenger, but the messenger quickly saw Zariff hold up a different paper that was eerily similar to the one the messenger was holding. "We're already under contract with the Royal Court, on a mission sanctioned by King Leodoro himself. Due to the secrecy and urgency of this assignment, we're unable to accept further assignments for the time being."

"B-But--"

The door was promptly closed in the messenger's shocked face. He was unsure of what to do next. Taking a moment to think, the messenger got back on his horse and hurried to the castle.

"Already under contract?" Arnole was surprised, but only for a moment. "This changes things slightly. You can go now, join the rest of the castle guards on their way to the north end of the city."

The messenger swallowed some saliva. "Y-yes, sir."

When the messenger was gone, Anole frowned. Magic Corps members were trickling back into the room, taking their sweet time to ready themselves.

"Hurry up! We've got to get moving!" ordered Arnole, surprising the corps members. They rushed themselves and returned to hear further orders. "It would seem that the king doesn't wish for the association to join the protect the city, so it's in our hands now."

Many corps members were shocked by that statement. The chief officer was speaking against both the king and the Adventurers Association?

"The castle guards are ready to leave and we'll lead them into battle. Mount your horses, and save the city!"

"Aye, aye, sir!"

The men left immediately. Only Arnole and the purple hooded man was left behind. The hooded man laughed, "Interesting… Again, they act outside of your predictions."

Arnole scoffed, "It was within my predictions, I just had prepared that far in advance. It would seem that the king is forcing my hand. We'll have to act sooner than I thought."

"Acting sooner is fine, what worries me is how you've been duped again. First, you let that king keep you from getting your hand on that summoned hero. It may not have seemed like much, but now that kid's got a Hell-flame Fox with the association backing him. Also, the kid could be considered as your enemy."

Silent, Arnole listened to the man as he continued thinking out loud. "Second, you let him figure out your with the syndicate before you had complete control of the Royal Court. And now, when you decide to rush your plans to eliminate him, he's forced you to change your plans even more and make an enemy of the association so soon. How do you plan to explain this to the others?"

"Shut up! With you here, we're guaranteed to succeed, it would be impossible for them to defeat us!" retorted Arnole.

"And what about 'him?'"

Hesitant to reply, Arnole stated, "To be honest, I don't think we should worry about "him." The last time the king ever spoke to "him" was long before I was assigned to Reinolt. According to the king, he never even saw the man's face. What's to say that he's even in the country?"

"So, in other words, you have no clue who he is or where to find him?"

"Nonsense! We've planned it all and he's as real as a fairytale in the Reinolt Kingdom. There have been many battles and wars since then, and he's never shown his face since. Why would I waste time planning and chasing something that doesn't exist anymore?" reasoned Arnole.

"Whatever, it's your plan and your fault if you fail. Don't come crying to me for protection if it all goes south, got it?" The man's chilling gaze pierced Arnole's confidence.

"Just be on standby. You're the secret weapon, so be patient." Arnole, no longer wanting to continue the conversation, left and found his own horse. Soon, he left the kingdom, ready to receive more heroic accolades.

The cetuses had destroyed nearly 10% of the city by the time the castle guards and Magic Corps arrived on the scene. The castle guards were on the frontlines, corraling the beasts. From behind them, the strong sorcerers of the Magic Corps split up to pick off the cetuses one-by-one.

When they neared the stronger cetuses, the stronger members of the corps were forced to act. Most corps members were as strong as captains, but four of them were over lv. 30 and those men teamed up to pick off the stronger, larger cetuses.

At first, the largest cetus did nothing. It only watched the fights and analyzed the Magic Corps members. After most of the cetuses had been killed, the largest cetus finally moved.

Almost like it was on cue, Arnole was riding in on his horse and caught a glimpse of the large, deep-blue cetus.

"Men, don't let a single cetus escape! Anyone who deals a killing blow to a cetus will be rewarded heavily. Oh, and leave that one to me," ordered Arnole, boosting the morale of his men.

He hopped off his horse and approached the large cetus. Recognizing a strong opponent, the cetus growled and began stepping toward Anole, sizing up its prey. 

Seeing the cetus' seriousness, Arnole activated his first spell. The wind blew around him and Arole felt lighter than air. His movements were swift and sharp, appearing to cut the air itself.

Without a word, the two attacked each other. The cetus' brutal nature was apparent, always trying to tear Arnole's body apart. However, Arnole was too quick and held the advantage throughout the fight, slowing chipping away the cetus' health with his wind blades.

When the beast let out its last breath, the soldiers cheered. The weather started calming, slowly reverting back to normal. In moments, all civilians in the vicinity had run over to cheer for Arnole's victory and the victory of the Royal Court. They were the heroes and the entire city was in an uproar to have such a strong champion.

Chapter end