I have to admit that I am feeling pretty nervous right now. After all, I am going to be meeting my master after almost a month of being isolated in that damn room. At the moment, I don't think I am ready to meet up with anybody. Certainly not someone as annoying as my master.

  This is absolutely not because my master is going to like the fact that I have not been cultivating in all of this. I assure you that by the end of my time here, I have been doing everything but cultivating. I am presently about half done with my fourth foundation slab, which is very behind schedule. I also have not begun the process of linking the foundation slabs to the sword.

  I should have been done with my fourth slab by now and formed a minor bond with my third slab. It normally doesn't take more than a couple of months for anybody to make their fourth slab, you see. The slabs that truly take a lot of your time tend to be from the sixth slab onwards.

  Well, I can admit that I have not wasted my time (Just not to my master.) I have been doing research, you see. I have been going through all the formations that I know of to find the best formations for my kit. This has been a bit harder since the few notes that I have are all scattered about. (I will have to start work on that one of these days.)

  The problem is, I can't exactly show that work to the old man now. He will certainly lose his mind seeing that. After all, the man has ordered me to exclusively focus on my cultivation. (He seemed pretty serious as well this time. Not that it matters too much to me.)

  Anyway, if it were just that, I wouldn't be so worried. I have quite a bit of experience in disappointing the man, after all. We will argue for a bit, and then he will give up. After all, just how long can the man even argue with me? There is use in being a stubborn brat sometimes.

  The problem is that the man is also going to be announcing my verdict with the Aegis. Right now, that is something that I am truly worried about.

  I don't know what exactly the man has been doing in the last month, but I know that he has been meeting with the head office. Whatever the man has been doing seems to be going well. Now the only question I have is whether my master is trying to save me or to trap me.

  Well, they certainly can't kill me. That would immediately worsen any relationship that they had with my master. (And the formation corps by extension.) That is something even the guard corps cannot afford.

  Still, they can make things very hard for me. After all, I am technically a member of the guard corps. They technically still hold the right to punish me, you see. They certainly can't execute me. That doesn't mean that they can't send me on a "mission" that will get me killed. Especially if my master agreed to do something like that.

  My master also has no way of removing me from the guard corps. My master had been the one to agree to the terms of the agreement, you see. The guarantee of somebody as powerful as my master is not easily given. He will have to follow the terms of his contract. If he were to go against that, the guard corps has enough contacts to destroy our entire customer base. Even my master cannot ignore the guarantee of the formation corps that easily.

  Anyway, I am not sure if the man wants to save me. My master has a very weird sense of danger, as you must have already seen. The man sent me into the home of our worst enemy's for my first mission. I am worried that the man might just consider this to be another challenge that I can learn from.

  Well, the man has finally appeared, by the way. I can feel him on the very edge of my mana sense. (I would not feel his mana if he didn't want me to feel it. Even as he approaches, I feel a sense of relief. Whatever happens, I don't want to remain in this room anymore. I would have done a much better job cultivating anywhere else. IF only my master could accept that.

  Even as I record this, the man has reached my room. He opens it with a bang. (This time, he doesn't break the door at least.) Well, the first thought that I have while looking at the man is that he looks tired. Well, I certainly didn't expect that. I have been with my master for many years of my life.

  I have never seen the man look as tired as he looks today. I don't know why this particular detail disturbs me as much as it does. I can feel panic crawl up my spine like a snake constricting. Thankfully, I have an easy time keeping the panic in control. I have had too much practice with it nowadays, if I am being honest.

  "What happened, kid?" The old man chuckles, it temporarily overpowering the exhaustion on his face. "You look as if I am going to keel over today. You don't need to worry. I have just been a bit busy in the last few years."

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  "Well, you are not going to be dying that easily, you old man," I reply, trying to project confidence in my voice. "You are going to be a headache for me for a long time. So, what is happening in the mountain?"

  "Well, as you must have already guessed from reading the logs of others, we are presently preparing for a war." My master replies.

  "I guessed that. My question is, who is stupid enough to attack us at this time? It can't be anybody from down south." I reply, thinking of the hordes of undead that are crawling through the place even now. (I was in the outer reaches of the bone pits, by the way. The inner reaches are supposed to be infinitely worse.)

  "Well, this time the enemy is much closer to home." My master replies. "A familiar pest, if you will. We are going to be launching an attack on the blood peaks, kid."

  "The vampires. Is it related to my missions in some way?" I ask. "Anything related to this plan of yours?"

  "Well, I guess you could say that." He replies. "Though it is just not that. The vampires have been going wild for the last few years. We feel like we have let them free rein for too long. They seem to be thinking that the hexmountain and its treaty are a joke."

  "Well, then why are we waiting?" I reply. "It is not like the legion to delay an attack for so long."

  The man pauses for a second at this. He certainly did not expect me to know about the legion getting ready, it looks like.

  "Well, we have to follow the hexmountain treaty, kid. Especially the legion." The man replies. "We cannot be the first aggressors. The Black Mountain has called the grand council for this purpose. Until that happens, we are not going to war."

  I guess I should explain what the Grand Council is. It is basically a meeting between all the members of the Hexmountain Treaty. It is supposed to be a pretty big thing to call one.

  "Have things gotten that serious?" I ask.

  The grand council is not something that can be called on lightly.

  "Well, they have begun to use demons on the battlefield, kid. I would say that it has gotten serious enough." He replies. "Incidentally, I have come here for that very reason. I have heard that you acquired the sigils of a couple of demons during your last mission."

  "Well, I got them all right. The only problem is that they are the sigils of an imp." I reply. "It certainly won't be that useful in the council. Imps aren't exactly what you think of when it comes to demons."

  "Well, I am sure we will figure it out soon enough." My master replies. "Let the guard corps do their work. Speaking of the guards, they have decided on your punishment by the way."

  Here comes the moment that I dreaded.

  "They have decided to kick you out of the guard corps." He recites, as a wave of relief spreads across my body. I almost feel like breaking into a jig. "The guard corps feels that your performance in the last three missions has been abysmal. That is why they are removing you as of the issuing of this order."

  "Now don't go about feeling so happy, kid." My master replies, looking at my relief. "Your presence in the guard corps was the only defence that you had against them. They would never be able to kill one of their own. Without it, I would suggest you be very careful of any guard that you meet."

  "Well, I at least won't need to do any of their stupid missions." I reply.

  "Well, that doesn't mean that you are out of a job, though." The man replies. "I have your task ready."

  "Are you finally going to make me a part of the formation corps?" I ask the man, even as he looks at me.

  "Well, you won't be joining the formation corps. You will be joining us in an unofficial capacity for now." He replies. "You could say it is related to the help that I said I would provide you with your cultivation."

  "Fine, what is the job?" I find myself grumbling. I should have guessed that this would have happened. "Just don't send me into the bone pits again, and I will be fine."

  "Well, you are going to remain here in the centre of the continent, kid. The scholars need an escort to one of their magical ruins present in the bloody plains." My master replies. "You and your troop are going to be their escort."

  "Well, I don't have a problem with the task itself, but I wonder why they have not gone to the guard corps. Doesn't this fall in their domain?" I ask.

  "Well, this particular magical ruin has a formation that needs to be fixed. They have heard of your mission in the north. They believe that you will be able to provide them with better protection than guards can. Also, it is a favour for me. The scholar you will be escorting will also be helping you with cultivation." My master replies.

  "So when will I be leaving for this mission?" I ask. "And what are going to be my rewards for this mission?"

  "Well, the mission itself is going to be after the grand council." He replies. "As for the rewards of this mission. I will let you pick any three class nine cores from my storehouse before the start of the mission."

  As I listen to this, I am hit by two confusing emotions of fear and excitement. My master's treasury is not a place that even I can gain easy access to. This is for a reason. That is why I am scared. It is not a pleasant trip to the place.

  Another reason is that the man would have given me such a reward only because he must have known what I was doing in the room. So much for not irritating the man.

  "Well, you look as if I am about to gobble you up." My master speaks, with a tiny chuckle. "Do you think I don't know about you?"

  "Well, you know me so well." I reply. Even as I look at the man, I think that I should check for surveillance formations in my room.

  "Well, you are going to be meeting the scholar that you will need to escort in a week or so." My master speaks. "It is important that you make a good impression, so you need to dress well."