Chapter 18: Art's of Warfare

The next day, all the rooms in the dormitory were quiet. Suddenly, a bell rang, piercing through the silence.

"Arghhh," Hazen groaned, sitting up.

"No, not again," Fatty muttered, getting up sluggishly.

They turned to Cain, who was already awake, sitting up.

"Are you just waking up?" Hazen asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Yes," Cain replied.

"And you look so alert," Fatty yawned as he spoke.

The three of them turned to see Ghain still asleep.

"Help us, Fatty," Hazen said, noticing Fatty was closest to Ghain, then he stood up and left the room.

Fatty walked up to Ghain, who was fast asleep with his mouth wide open, lying at the edge of the bed. A mischievous smile appeared on Fatty's face as he gave Ghain a little pull, making him crash to the ground, causing him to open his eyes.

"Oww, Fatty!" Ghain said with a frown as he got up from the ground.

"I tried to wake you, but you didn't respond," Fatty lied mischievously.

"Really?" Ghain asked, assuming it was his fault.

"Yes," Fatty replied, feigning innocence.

Just as Fatty was about to get away, Cain's voice resounded from behind.

"He's lying. He didn't try to wake you. He did it on purpose."

Fatty froze. "Snitch!" he said, glaring at Cain, who seemed uninterested in their conversation.

"You!" Ghain said, pointing at Fatty with an angry glare.

"Hehe, I was just joking," Fatty said as he dashed out of the room, with Ghain chasing after him.

"Come back here, Fatty!" Ghain shouted as they ran through the dormitory.

---

Everyone was assembled, including Hazen, Ghain, Cain, and Fatty, in the shadow pit. All the leaders had grave expressions.

"I wonder what's going on this time," Ghain muttered, looking up at the leaders.

"Yeah, once this is over, we'll talk to Commander Kyle about last night's situation," Hazen said, staring at Commander Kyle, who stood a few meters away.

"Mm," Fatty replied.

All four looked at Commander Kyle, inwardly wondering about the cause for the expressions on the leaders' faces.

Finally, Commander Kyle spoke. "Attention, everyone!" His voice caused all the whispers echoing through the hall to stop abruptly.

"It has come to my attention that we have a witch living among us," Commander Kyle announced.

The crowd gasped in shock. Hazen, Ghain, Cain, and Fatty exchanged looks.

"Maybe they've already found out," Cain said, and the others nodded, their eyes fixed on Commander Kyle.

"I've discovered that witches have stolen our military intelligence and battlefield maps. From what I gather, they're probably planning a counterattack," Commander Kyle said, his tone cold and emotionless.

"We have a mission to visit Mortia—the witch kingdom," he continued, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "But we need your help. Based on the information I received, it seems the witch queen has a particular fondness for ladies, but we don't have any here. Is anyone willing to take on this task?" Commander Kyle asked, scanning the crowd.

Murmurs and whispers filled the air.

"I'm not feminine-looking. I can't do it," Fatty said, shaking his potbelly.

"Me neither," Ghain added.

Suddenly, the three of them turned to the petite boy with hazel eyes standing between them.

"Hazen, you should be able to do this!" Ghain said, poking Hazen repeatedly.

"Woah, woah. I'm a man, just like you," Hazen replied, inwardly hoping he wouldn't have to dress like a girl again.

"Hey, think of it as saving the world, for Astera," Fatty added, trying to make Hazen relent.

Hazen turned to Cain, the quietest among them, hoping he'd be different.

"Well, I think you should do it," Cain said.

"I'm not doing it. I'm a man!" Hazen replied, folding his arms in disapproval.

"Commander, I think Hazen can do it!" Hazen turned to see Nathan smirking from a distance.

"This idiot," Hazen muttered.

Others began assessing Hazen.

"He's actually quite beautiful," someone commented.

"If he were a girl, I'd pursue him immediately," another remarked.

Commander Kyle looked displeased by their comments. "That's enough," he said, his gaze coldly sweeping over the crowd.

"Why do I feel the commander is possessive when it comes to Hazen?" Ghain whispered, feeling a chill. The others nodded in agreement.

Hazen was speechless.

"It's settled. Hazen, come forward. The rest of you are dismissed," Commander Kyle ordered, his gaze piercing into Hazen's hazel eyes before looking away.

Hazen felt rooted to the spot, like a shock of electricity ran through her when Commander Kyle stared at her. "So… intense," she muttered, making her way to the Commander.

---

In a plain room with couches neatly arranged along the edges and a polished wooden table in the center, a warm lamp cast a soft glow, illuminating a small part of the room. Seated were Commander Kyle, Ravi, Jayden, and Hardin.

"Kyle, why do I feel you're interested in that Hazen boy?" Hardin asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Exactly!" Ravi added.

Kyle glanced at the two but didn't respond, knowing something within him stirred he couldn't quite explain. He reached out, taking a cigarette from Jayden, who sat in the shadows, exhaling smoke.

Suddenly, there was a knock.

"Come in," Commander Kyle called, putting out the cigarette in the ashtray.

Ravi and Hardin looked at each other in shock.

"He never leaves a cigarette unfinished!" Hardin exclaimed.

"It seems we've found 'her' at last," Ravi said.

"No, it's a 'him' in this case," Hardin corrected, as they both turned to see the petite figure entering the room, showing no trace of fear in his eyes.

"Shut up, I'm not interested," Commander Kyle muttered to Hardin quietly to avoid Hazen overhearing.

"Come sit," Hardin said, smiling at Hazen.

Hazen walked over and sat on the nearest couch, looking at them intently.

"What am I expected to do?" she asked seriously.

"Well, I explained everything in the shadow pit. You're not expected to do much—just distract the witch queen, retrieve the map from her study, and sneak out. I'll be there if anything goes wrong, and I promise we'll get back safely," Commander Kyle said to Hazen, who looked at him intently.

"Alright, when are we leaving? And I'm a man; I can't go like this," she replied, feeling reassured by his confidence.

"We leave tomorrow morning. As for your disguise, it's ready; you'll get it tomorrow," Commander Kyle replied.

"Okay," Hazen said, her eyes filled with determination.

"This is my first mission—I must succeed!" she thought, cheering herself on inwardly.

"You may leave now," Commander Kyle said.

Hazen stood up, bowed slightly out of respect, and left the room.

"Not bad. A brave young man," Ravi remarked, smiling at the closed door.