A hush fell over the entire field once the sage flew away, as no one knew what to do, or how to respond. Nero, too, was caught up in his own thoughts. All their planning and preparation had gone down the drain?
What great families? What army politics? It had all been thrown down the drain by the onset of war.
But there was something about the whole situation that he didn't understand. Was it really necessary to continue using him as a prop?
Whatever the reason, he wouldn't figure out the answer here. Someone else came to the mic and began organising the crowd, allowing them to leave in an orderly fashion. Based on how no one was prepared, Nero could guess that maybe no one knew exactly what was going to happen today.
Nero didn't particularly care about not getting his commendation, as he kept wondering about what his immediate future would hold.
"Kid, take care of yourself," Idris said somberly before they split.
Footer, whose expression had returned to normal by now, stood waiting for Nero at the end of the field.
"Let's go, I got us our own car for now," he said as he led Nero away from the crowd and to a different part of the base. If Nero hadn't already known his identity, he would have long begun to suspect something for Footer never really tried too hard at keeping his identity a secret.
From knowing things he shouldn't know, to having access to things that civilians should have access to, he was making it pretty obvious that he had another identity. Or maybe that was just around Nero.
They remained silent the whole way, and true to his word, Footer had managed to arrange a car all to themselves. There were no guards to escort them back, though considering the long line of cars that would be leaving altogether, security did not seem like an issue.
"What now?" Nero couldn't help but ask. He had been prepared for many things, but a sudden onset of war was not one of them.
He was struggling between thoughts of what his own future would be like, to the safety and security of his family.
"What now? Kid, don't be fooled. You've hit the virtual jackpot. Yes, there's a small chance that you'll get blown to bits by an enemy who you can do nothing against, but in life there are always risks."
Nero was stunned to see that, for once, there was a wide smile on Footers face!
"War's not bad, kid. Oh sure, if you're a regular person and you want to live a normal life, then it's horrible. But for people like you, who have certain goals, war is the fastest way to gain promotions. And you, especially, are in the perfect position to take advantage of it."
"Explain," Nero said, with his brows furrowed. As someone who had never been in war, he could not exactly imagine why it would be a good thing for him. Sure, he might get a lot of credits for each mission, but the danger was simultaneously much greater. Although he was brave, he was not stupid or suicidal.
"Kid, the ruins were right in front of you. You already saw them. You also know that they need Neophytes for something, that's why the tournament was supposed to be here. I don't know if that will still happen or not, but I can sure as hell tell you that they're still going to need skilled Neophytes.
"This is where you can shine. Let me tell you, any soldier worth his salt does his absolute best to grow as quickly as possible. That means that the army is severely understaffed when it comes to trained, competent and capable Neophytes. All they have are students and early recruits. I can't comment on the rest, but you've already proven your worth as a Neophyte.
Do you know what position that puts you in? The army needs you, not the other way around. If you can do a good job, then that'll shave years off your promotion route. More importantly, no matter what his reason may be, everyone has seen that Sage Haiden favours you. After all, he's spoken positively about you twice in public now. That gives you an invisible backing in the army.
You're in the perfect position to take advantage of it."
For a moment, Nero was silent. Footer was right, he supposed. But he still had some concerns. He supposed, if anyone, Footer was in the exact right position to answer him about it.
"I'm more concerned about my family than anything else. My mother won't get drafted, she was discharged because of injury and hasn't healed yet. But my dad is in Whisper Guard. To be honest, he's been gone for weeks now, and it suddenly makes sense why. I'm just worried something will happen to him."
For a brief moment, Footer didn't answer. He withdrew his smile and just looked forward as he drove the car.
"Kid, if you maintain that mentality, you're going to die. It's plain and simple. On the battlefield, any and all distraction can prove fatal. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that your family is going to be fine. But even if they're not, there's nothing you can do about it as you are. Even the sage said so himself, that he still can't protect the whole country at his level.
"The only thing you can focus on is doing your best to keep yourself alive, and know that your family will be doing the same. As far as Whisper Guard goes… kid, let me ask you a question. Do you know the name of any other special forces in all of Kolar?"
The questions stunned Nero. It was so random, he had not been expecting it.
"No, I guess I don't."
Footer grinned once more, though Nero decided a stoic expression suited him much more.
"That's because the Whisper Guard are all crazy. Forget any rumours you've heard about why they're so famous, or everyone knows about them. The truth is, they're all sadistic maniacs who don't really care about rules or anything else. They consistently fail to keep their identity hidden, to the point where it has become their identifying factor.
Sorry you had to find out this way kid, but your dad is probably crazy too. The good thing about being crazy, though, is that they're a lot harder to kill than normal people."