The major had already informed Nero of the story they were going to go with. Charles and Henry had not attacked Nero, but had worked with him against an unknown traitor, and died in the line of duty. That would be the official story, and beyond that he was not allowed to share any other details with anyone for the time being.
He'd also handed over all the cards he'd collected from the three corpses, not that he had any use for them. If he were not a recruit, and had free time, he could have gone and sold the cards to a reclamation shop. They were completely qualified to take in random cards people bought, and Nero was sure that if trap cards were an issue they would have ways of identifying them.
But that was no longer a concern. The rest woke up pretty easily, though the ones who were supposed to have been on guard immediately noticed that something was amiss. They didn't even remember falling asleep, and they knew for certain that they hadn't woken up the next shift. They immediately became alert, something Nero appreciated.
Maybe in the future, once they learned about how two of their teammates bravely died in the line of duty, they would realise how dangerous the situation had been.
Being sparse with details, Nero only told them that they needed to head back to base, escorted by the major. So when they exited the shelter and found three corpses on the ground they were incredibly shocked and horrified.
Taylor, specifically, had the oddest reaction though none of the others seemed to notice. She stared at Henry and the headless corpse for a while, before her gaze locked onto Nero, and her breathing became a little heavy.
Wendy was completely nonchalant. In fact, the only thing she was even looking for was Nero's spear. No one else seemed to have noticed that it was missing, but she couldn't believe he was taking a single step without it in hand. Oddly enough, she couldn't find it anywhere.
The major escorted them back, which sped up their return considerably. For whatever reason, most animals started to avoid them, and cursed plants stayed dormant as they passed. From time to time, Nero noticed that the major disappeared momentarily, before returning to his spot.
Nero became almost certain that the major had a teleportation ability of some kind, or at least a card, which was much more believable. After all, it was common knowledge that all space based abilities were monopolised by the Ayubi family, which was the ruling family of Dolziya. While they were happy to sell cards, they would never allow the ability to leave their family.
But as they were nearing the base a leaf was randomly falling from the canopy. Nero spotted it, and moved with the intention of avoiding it, but then spotted the major disappearing again, and then returning. It was another great display of teleportation, except for the fact that other than the major's appearance and disappearance, Nero noticed one other significant change.
The leaf had been in the air, but as soon as the major disappeared, by the time Nero noticed, which could have been at most a split second, the leaf was nearly touching the ground. When the major reappeared, the leaf had already joined the mulch covering the forest floor.
Eventually, they returned to base, and Nero was not surprised to learn that they were one of the last to return, though still not exactly the last. They were also the only ones who came back carrying body bags.
Rumours no doubt began to spread, but none of them had a chance to learn about them, as they were all immediately escorted to a building for questioning. Nero was personally questioned by the major, alongside one other person who did nothing save sit in the room silently. It did not take a genius to guess that he had some kind of ability that detected lies.
Nero, for one, didn't mind, and shared everything with the major truthfully, starting from when he identified Henry and Charles, all the way until he met the major, sparing no detail.
He even explained his own thought process through each step, explaining how he had been baiting whoever had been targeting him.
There was only one thing Nero did not mention, which is the similarity he felt between the masked man, and the terrorists who attacked AAB. There was no point in mentioning it, since he had no proof of anything.
There was one more, very important reason why Nero so openly explained everything to the major. He was hoping to impress the major, now that he had decided to trust him, so that Nero would get preferential treatment, and more importantly, better and more focused training.
But, a few hours later, when Nero was surprisingly told he was free to return, and that he just needed to remember not to share any details of what transpired with anyone else, he did not realise just how effective his strategy had been.
The only thing on his mind at that time was to meet his redheaded friend and have a little chat with him about his background.
The major watched Nero leave, then turned to look at the corporal who was sitting beside him the entire time.
"He did not lie a single time, nor was he invasive with any question. He didn't even make up anything, which meant that he really had been planning all those things he mentioned, and hadn't come up with them after the fact to make himself look better," the corporal answered with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Right. You may leave," he said, and then watched the soldier exit. Once he was alone in the sealed room, he took out a card and activated it. A black screen appeared in front of him, and for a few moments, it stayed that way, until finally the face of a mature, yet stunning woman with multicoloured hair appeared.
Upon seeing Liam, she broke into a loving smile.
"Little Liam, it's good to see you. It's not often you give this old lady a call. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
"Grandmother, I have found a promising young recruit, a Neophyte. He has already racked up a body count of three, with two being other presumed enslaved Neophytes and one infiltrator Initiate, while suffering minimal wounds that had no diminutive effect on his combat capability in the short term.
I will forward you the After-Action report, but he has displayed all the qualities desired in an officer."
"That's wonderful news, and at such an opportune time. I almost hesitate to ask if there is a catch."
"Yes, there is. Sage Haiden already has his eye on him, and has publicly given him a commendation."
The woman's smile quickly turned into a scowl at the name of the sage. Clearly, the prestige attached to his name did not hold much sway with her. She grumbled for a minute, then turned back to Liam.
"I'll talk to Haiden myself. Unless he has something quite extreme in mind, there is no reason why we cannot share. In times of scarcity, we have to make do with what we have."
For a moment the woman paused, seeming as if she suddenly had an idea. She took a few moments to consider, then turned her gaze back towards Liam.
"Live combat experience at the Neophyte level is rare. How do you think he compares to the Heralds? Or the kids from our family?"
"I doubt he had received the same level of training or education as the kids from great families, but his ruthlessness is not something that can be taught. Even against me, despite realising that he was hopelessly unmatched, he was ready to fight to the death at any moment."
"Excellent. I can compromise with Haiden, but no one else. If he lacks any training, then start giving him a crash course, and start teaching him how to lead a team. According to our estimates, the fog around the ruins will start retreating in around 64 days. By then, make him the best that we can get. Liam, this is our family's greatest opportunity.
We cannot miss this chance."
"Yes, grandmother. I should also mention, the army was infiltrated…"
"Bah, those bloody swine Dolziyans! Infiltrations is Christina's department, go talk to one of hers. I've heard those brats from Whisper Guard have brought out one of their prized agents they had tucked away. They've caught quite a lot of these worms. They can help you out."
Liam nodded, and ended the spell. 64 days. That's how many days they had to last before they could continue exploring the ruins.
During that entire time they could continue to be attacked from all sides. It was going to be a tough few weeks - for everyone involved.
Liam took out another card and summoned another screen. It was time to have his entire base vetted for spies and infiltrators. At the same time, they had to begin checking everyone for marks from Leash & Collar.