Chapter 4

I opened my eyes.

I was standing in a black room with rusty pipes lining the walls. The room was entirely walled off except for a large metal door on the wall in front of me.

On my right Pallock and Cedrick stood, looking entirely unsurprised at what had just occurred.

“W-what just happened?” I asked.

Pallock smirked. “Welcome to the headquarters of the revolutionary movement. If you could step through that door, you would witness the full might of our revolution.”

Carefully, I stepped up to the door and turned the handle. After holding it there for a second, I swung the door open to reveal what was on the other side.

It was a truly magnificent sight. Hundreds of towers stretching up into the darkness, caverns of great width and girth going on for kilometers on end, and pipes, so many pipes, on the walls and even on the ground.

“Quite the sight, right? Our underground complex has been built and grown over the course of forty years. Using these towers, we connect our headquarters to the sewers, and thus to the city above. Most of our members were originally workers in the sewers, and many still work undercover there to gain information.”

‘Wow. The only thing I knew about the rebels was that they were a new group that was relatively nonviolent, yet now that I see the full scale of their operations, I realize that this has been going on for much longer at much greater heights than I have previously imagined.’

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Cedric said, “As far as the public is concerned, the rebellion has only been going for ten years or so, but we have been active for over sixty years at this point. The only reason we are more known now is because our leader just became an S-rank mage, directly rivaling the power of the emperor. After his ascension we gained many more members, and the emperor finally noticed us to be a serious threat to his reign.”

As we talked, Pallock led us through the maze of pipes and towers, and eventually we stopped at a particularly large-looking tower, that if observed closely, one could see that it was a shade darker than the other towers, even though they were nearly pitch black.

Pallock turned to me and motioned towards the entrance to the tower. “This is the main tower where we formulate our plans. It is also where our leader lives. Would you like to meet him?”

I turned to Cedrick and then looked back at Pallock. “Yes, I’m willing to meet him, but first, I’m curious. Why did you accept me joining this rebellion? Do you not realize my abysmal power and talent? After serving in the army for such a long time, the only spell I managed to learn was the candle spell, the weakest and most basic spell in existence. I was literally kicked out of the army for being too weak. What reason could you have to accept me into your group?”

Pallock smiled. “Why don’t you ask the leader himself? He can answer your question.”

I frowned. ‘What does that mean?’

“Go on, don’t be shy.” He gestured to the door once more.

“Fine. But won’t you be coming with me?”

“Unfortunately, we won’t. You have to meet with the leader alone.”

‘Odd.’

I stepped through the open door to the tower and heard it close with a snap behind me. In front of me was a magic elevator, its doors open as if it had been waiting for me.

I took a deep breath and then stepped into the magic elevator.

On the walls of the magic elevator were mirrors, and as the doors closed behind me, I stared at my disheveled reflection in the mirror.

My long brown hair was a mess, and my black eyes looked extremely tired even though I had slept well the night before.

Indeed, it looks as if my exoneration from the army had left its mark on me.

Abruptly, I heard a ding, and the doors to the magic elevator opened behind me. I turned around and walked through the doors, and into the room beyond.

The room I stood in resembled the standard waiting room, with seating and a few miscellaneous bookshelves, except that everything was in black, giving it an eerie feeling.

At the end of the room was a door, and unlike all of the other doors I’d seen within the headquarters, this one was a deep red.

‘Just based on the color scheme, these guys seem more like the bad guys than the good guys.’

After looking around the room a bit more and finding nothing of interest, I cautiously walked up to the door and knocked on it.

I waited a moment, but there was no reply, so I knocked again.

Again, nothing.

‘Is it expected that I just open it myself?’

Suddenly, the door flew open, and I stumbled backward in surprise.

Beyond the door was a quaint room, filled with only a desk and a chair. Sitting in the chair was an average-looking man, with brown hair, brown eyes, and wearing the same outfit that Pallock had been wearing.

He raised his hand in greeting. “Please come in, make yourself at home.”

His voice had a hint of a Taignese accent in it, perhaps implying an Eastern descent.

I stepped through the doorway and then realized something.

“Um… where can I sit? There is only one chair, and you are currently occupying it.”

“Ah, yes, my apologies for the inconvenience. Here.”

He waved his hand, and suddenly a chair made out of flowing water appeared in front of his desk.

“Go on, sit.”

I stared at the chair with a dumbfounded expression.

‘So they weren’t lying when they said he was an S rank.’

“I see you are impressed with my skills. I am quite honored. Also, do not worry, the chair won’t get you wet.”

“O-ok.”

I cautiously sat down on the chair and felt relief when I realized he didn’t lie. It was just like any old regular chair, just… flowing in place.

He smirked and kicked back on his chair, looking very relaxed.

“So… are you enjoying your vacation here in the heart of the revolution?”

I scrutinized him and made sure to choose my next words carefully.

“Yes, I am. Though I must say, the choice in color… is quite extraordinary.”

“Hahaha! That’s the spirit! Good, having your own opinion is what we’re all about here.”

I smiled. This man didn’t seem to fit the bloodthirsty persona that the imperial propaganda put him out to be.

“I have a few questions to ask you, Darian Dusk.”

He waved his hand merrily above his head.

“Ask away.”