Chapter 896: Representatives of the War Branches
There was a large round table at the command tent's center. At that table sat four people—each with two individuals standing upright behind them.
Of the four people at the table, Izroth immediately recognized two of them; the War Brigade 1st Legion General of the 1st High Legion Solomon and Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian, Duchess.
Izroth had personally spoken to Solomon on various occasions; therefore, they could not be considered strangers. As for Duchess, despite their limited interaction with one another, their paths had previously crossed.
Standing quietly behind Solomon was another person Izroth was no stranger to. It was the War Brigade 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Aurie.
Next to Aurie was an unfamiliar face—a handsome man with soft features who looked to be in his early thirties with snow-white hair and a pair of pale turquoise eyes.
The light armor he wore was platinum in color, and on his back was a magnificent glaive with a well-curved blade.
NPC Name: War Brigade 1st Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Ezra(???)
NPC Level: ???
At Duchess' back were two members of the zensana race. One was the Rosentarus Panther Battalion Commander Baut, who previously worked with Aurie to fight for what was once known as the Unsanctioned Zone.
Although Izroth had not directly met with Baut, he was aware of his existence through Empyrean, who he sent to help Baut after he was ambushed by members of the Skounae race.
Slightly hunched over next to Baut was a sub-species of the zensana race Izroth had not seen before; however, he was somewhat familiar with them due to his trip to the Amaharpe Palace Library.
The most defining feature was, without a doubt, the pair of feathered wings on their back that were currently folded in. They possessed a pair of yellow eyes with the features of a half-bird and half-human. This person was a member of the zensana owl sub-species.
NPC Name: Rosentarus Avian Battalion Commander U'Talow(???)
NPC Level: ???
It was clear that Solomon was here as the War Brigade's representative, while Duchess was present to represent the zensana of Rosentarus. As for the other two at the table, each of them belonged to the remaining two war branches.
NPC Name: War Intelligence Group Special Agent Veiled(???)
NPC Level: ???
NPC Name: Resource Management Division Advisor Palmer(Rare)
NPC Level: 45
The first one was known simply as Veiled, and he was shrouded in mystery. He wore a black cloak that covered him completely from head to toe. In addition, his face was hidden behind a white porcelain-like mask with no defining features.
Izroth did not know much about the inner workings of the War Intelligence Group; however, he was aware that someone with the rank of Special Agent held the same level of authority in their war branch as a General did in the War Brigade.
The two who came with Veiled were called Soothing Smoke and Nimble Whisper. Both of which had appearances that were just as well hidden as Veiled's.
Izroth had run into Soothing Smoke before during his trip to the Demilitarization Belt; however, there was not much they revealed about themselves. Of course, this was no surprise considering what war branch he was a part of.
NPC Name: War Intelligence Group Lead Agent Nimble Whisper(???)
NPC Level: ???
Palmer, on the other hand, was like an open book compared to Veiled and the others from the War Intelligence Group.
He was a man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties with neatly combed light brown hair and clear amber eyes. He donned simple yet noble clothing. And, in his eyes was a calculative look, accompanied by a stern expression on his face.
As an Advisor of the Resource Management Division, it was Palmer's job to ensure that war funds and resources were not being squandered while also making sure that the soldiers were taken care of on a reasonable budget.
Even though Palmer did not have the authority to command soldiers to fight on the battlefield or gather information like those from the War Intelligence Group, his influence was not any less than that of a General or Special Agent. After all, without funds and resources, it was impossible to fight a war. And needless to say, no one wanted to get on the bad side of an Advisor who had the ability to increase or decrease their potential operation funds.
Just like the other representatives, Palmer was accompanied by two individuals. One of which was a Manager of the Resource Management Division called Tonne, who was present at the Demilitarization Belt when Izroth was last there.
The person next to Tonne was a middle-aged man with black hair that was on the verge of becoming gray. He had a set of sunken green eyes with a pair of bags under his eyes as if he had not rested in days and wore a dark blue robe.
NPC Name: Resource Management Division Manager Everett(Elite)
NPC Level: 36
'I don't see that woman here. Does she plan to move alone?'
As Izroth analyzed those present, he felt several gazes land on him. However, those at the table did not pause their conversation upon his arrival.
"General Solomon, when will the High General be arriving so that we can begin the representative meeting?" Palmer inquired.
"The High General will not be attending this representative meeting. As ordered, I will be taking the lead in their absence." Solomon answered calmly.
"Then, why are we wasting time when everyone is already present?" Palmer questioned with a frown.
"It is proper protocol to wait for all representatives to arrive before beginning. Fortunately for you, Advisor Everett, it seems you no longer have to wait." Solomon said as his gaze landed on Izroth.
At first, Palmer was bewildered by Solomon's words. In his eyes, everyone was present besides the High General, who was not coming, according to Solomon. If that was the case, then...
Palmer shifted his gaze to Izroth, who had just entered the command tent.
Izroth's appearance caused the Advisor to furrow his brows. He made it his job to know everyone of importance at the representative meeting; however, this was his first time seeing the young man who just walked in.
"Who is this young man?" Palmer thought to himself as he sized up Izroth.
"Introduce yourself and then take a seat so that we may begin," Solomon said without wasting time.
Izroth walked over to the only empty seat at the table and stood in front of it before he introduced himself.
"I am here as the official representative of the General Support Unit, 9th Division Captain of the 1st Unit, Izroth. It is a pleasure to meet my fellow representatives." Izroth revealed before taking a seat at the table.
General Support Unit? The moment Izroth said those words, many of those present seemed taken aback.
The General Support Unit was given a representative spot as more of a courtesy than anything. Unless it was the Commander of the General Support Unit herself, no one actually expected to see anyone from that war branch make an appearance. After all, it was no secret that many people had called for the General Support Unit to be disbanded.
"General Solomon, is this a joke? I can understand if we were waiting for the Commander herself to arrive, but isn't it too much to send an inexperienced Captain to take part in this meeting? I am sure you are aware of what is at stake here. Speaking bluntly, the General Support Unit serves no purpose here with their presence." Palmer stated.
As Palmer spoke, Soothing Smoke leaned over and seemed to be whispering something in Veiled's ear.
At the same time, Solomon responded, "Advisor Palmer, may I remind you that despite your personal feelings, anyone may be sent as a representative. If the General Support Unit has assigned Captain Izroth this task, I have no doubt that they are more than capable of fulfilling it."
"General Solomon is correct. What's more important is that now that everyone is gathered, we may finally begin." Veiled commented.
"I agree." Duchess casually chimed in.
Palmer frowned. It was obvious that he was not happy about having to wait for a mere Captain from the General Support Unit to make an appearance. However, he decided to drop that matter. If he continued to protest when everyone present had already accepted things, he knew that it would only cause him to stand out in a bad way.
"Very well. Since General Solomon and everyone else has no issue, then so be it." Palmer said reluctantly.
"Then, since that's settled... Let's begin." Solomon stated.
He then continued, "Today, we will be discussing how to proceed with the assault on the Night Lord's Crypt. But, before we get into that, there is something else we need to address. Recently, we've received some disturbing news from the War Intelligence Group. I'll let Special Agent Veiled explain the details."