Elemental Cats

Toz sensed the tunnel straighten out after almost a couple of minutes of racing past the string of soft lights. Thankfully, the fire propelling him forward was bright enough to shed some light on the tunnel. But since he figured that he was nearing the end of the tunnel, he canceled his fire magic and let himself slow down while dispelling the armor.

It was fun going so fast, but it wouldn't be appropriate to leave the tunnel like a cannonball if he were to have a serious meeting with the general, so Toz reluctantly slowed down. And with the speed he was going, he might shoot straight into a wall and flatten himself, becoming one with the nature of a pancake if he's unlucky.

Toz's guess that he was reaching the end of the tunnel seemed to be correct since he could sense the tunnel open into a wide space. He could also feel the dense presence of several high level mages pressuring the ambient mana with their existence alone. Not only that, Toz heard voices travel through the tunnel. They were too indistinct at first, but they gradually became clearer.

"...should be here in a couple of minutes, right? Seich, how did he do with your test?"

"Dunno. Ask Cooper."

"About that, Sir. I think there's been some kind of mistake or error since-"

The third voice, Cooper, didn't have time to finish since the sounds of Toz's sliding through the tunnel entered the room. Shortly after which, Toz himself exited the tunnel and appeared inside the same room as the seven people who waited for him. However, although they were waiting for Toz, his appearance still took them by surprise, and when he stopped his slide by standing up, five of the seven looked like they were ready to attack him.

Toz had been prepared to slide into an ambush and face the attacks of several high level enemies, but when he could sense their presence before he even left the tunnel, he realized that it wasn't any kind of ambush. And when he heard the voices, he knew that he was actually invited to a proper meeting with the general. Maybe not proper, but it was at least an actual meeting, not a set-up or ambush.

But that didn't mean he wasn't ready to face the attacks of the five who looked poised to attack him. He had kept his mana at the ready since he first got the letter, and it would take less than a thought for him to lash out with everything he had and escape.

"Calm down."

However, the words of the pepper-haired man behind a desk on the other side of the room instantly made the five combatants fall back and assume defensive or relaxed positions instead of the hostile and aggressive one they had shown Toz. But Toz didn't care very much about that since his attention was fully trained on the man who had spoken.

His voice had even made Toz want to follow his order and calm down. If it weren't for his strong mind and the miniature clone, he really would have turned as docile as a sheep. The fact that his entire body surged with mana, something that could protect him against another mage interfering with his body, was practically useless against man's voice. Toz couldn't help but tremble slightly in both anxiety and excitement.

It was the first time Toz encountered someone that could control others with nothing more than their voice, so he was excited about discovering something he hadn't seen before. But since it was something that was incredibly effective, and he was surrounded by potentially hostile mages, he was also incredibly wary.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like the man, who was probably the general, had any intentions of forcing Toz's obedience. After seeing Toz completely resist his command, he only smiled slightly while a glint flashed through his clear eyes. He turned to the auburn-haired woman with a ponytail next to him. She was the only one, aside from the general, who hadn't reacted offensively in response to Toz's premature arrival.

"Riella, increase Miss Hassandra's contribution points by a suitable amount. Valuable wartime information."

"Yes, General."

After that, the general turned back to Toz and looked at him with an analyzing gaze. Toz felt a little uncomfortable being scrutinized so clearly, but he didn't protest. He had a feeling that the five combatants, who seemed to be the general's personal guard, wouldn't appreciate that.

"Welcome, Toz, leader of the Paw Print Pirates. Do I need to inform you about why you are here?"

"I'm pretty sure I know already."

"Yes, Miss Hassandra did tell you about it, I suppose. Riella, deduct a few contribution points from Miss Hassandra. Minor disobedience."

Toz felt a little bad since it seemed as if he had inadvertently caused Hassandra to lose some contribution points. But then he remembered that the general had added some after his arrival, so it was probably fine if he got rid of his guilt.

"Alright. It seems like you will be good enough. Merr will send you a message later, filling you in on the necessary details or when it's time. That will be all."

The general's dismissal was abrupt, and Toz just stared blankly at him. He didn't know what he had expected while he was on the way to the meeting, but it certainly wasn't this. Toz was first led around the camp in an unpleasant manner and for longer than necessary. He was then forced to wait on top of a potential trap for a boring amount of time, and then he had to slide through a stuffy and dull tunnel, all of that for the general to dismiss him after taking a look and saying a few words.

Considering the general's position, he was probably suitably busy. But if he was so busy, why waste so much time with the needless posturing and the deliberately slow method of guiding Toz to the secret room?