Rook stepped out of his room and locked the wooden door behind him before turning toward Seryn, who had already started walking down the hallway without waiting for him. Baram stood beside her with his hands behind his head while the remaining three members of their squad gathered nearby.
None of them looked particularly nervous despite being summoned by Sir himself. Judging from Rook’s inherited memories, this wasn’t their first time being called after a failed mission.
Without saying much, he quietly fell into step behind them, choosing to observe instead of speaking. His memories gave him their names, but seeing these people with his own eyes was still different.
Seryn naturally took the lead as they moved through the corridors of Ashline. She wasn’t the oldest among them, yet everyone unconsciously followed her pace without question.
Her shoulder-length purple hair barely moved as she walked, and her expression remained calm from beginning to end. The sword hanging at her waist was plain compared to the weapons of the others, but Rook remembered it had been forged by one of Ashline’s blacksmiths after she distinguished herself during a mission two years ago.
She wasn’t the strongest member of the squad, yet she was undoubtedly the one everyone relied on whenever decisions had to be made.
Walking beside her was Baram, the same man who had nearly planted his lips on Rook earlier. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and carried an oversized axe strapped across his back. His short brown hair and carefree smile made him look more like a village hunter than a member of a rebellion fighting demons.
From Rook’s memories, Baram had a habit of acting before thinking. He wasn’t particularly smart, though nobody questioned his loyalty when it mattered.
Behind them walked a lean young man named Rex, whose quiet nature almost made him disappear into the background. Twin daggers rested against his belt while a short bow hung over one shoulder. Unlike Baram, Rex rarely joined conversations unless someone spoke directly to him.
Rook remembered hearing that Rex had once spent three days hiding inside enemy territory just to gather information before returning without a single injury. He wasn’t someone who enjoyed attention, preferring to let others take credit while he quietly handled whatever task was assigned to him.
The remaining two members walked together near the back. One was a girl named Lina, whose long silver hair was tied into a simple ponytail. She carried a thick book chained to her waist instead of a weapon.
According to Rook’s memories, she specialized in support magic and battlefield analysis.
Beside her was Dren, the oldest member of the squad. His black spear rested comfortably on one shoulder while his sharp eyes constantly swept over their surroundings, even though they were inside Ashline’s headquarters. He hardly smiled, but everyone respected his experience after surviving countless missions against demons.
The deeper they walked into Ashline, the more activity Rook noticed around them. Messengers hurried from one building to another carrying sealed documents, while healers escorted wounded members toward the infirmary.
Despite hiding deep within the mountains, Ashline functioned more like a military fortress than a school.
Every person had a responsibility.
Looking around, Rook finally understood why the rebellion had managed to survive for nearly a century despite constantly being hunted by the Demon Hierarchy.
After several minutes, they climbed a long stone staircase leading toward the highest building within the headquarters. Unlike the other structures, this one was surprisingly simple. There were no banners hanging outside and no guards standing by the entrance.
A single wooden door separated the hallway from the room beyond.
Seryn stopped in front of it before taking a slow breath. She knocked three times and waited silently.
A calm voice came from inside.
"Enter."
Seryn pushed open the door, and the squad stepped inside one after another. Rook quietly followed at the rear while observing everything in the room.
The office wasn’t particularly large.
Bookshelves covered one wall while maps of different provinces occupied another. A long wooden table stood near the center with countless reports neatly stacked across it.
Behind the table sat a man whose entire body was hidden beneath dark armor.
Even his hands were covered by gauntlets, while a black mask concealed every part of his face. Nothing about him revealed his age, appearance, or even whether he was truly human.
This was Sir.
Nobody knew his real name. Nobody knew where he had come from. According to the oldest members of Ashline, he had simply appeared shortly after humanity’s defeat and gathered the scattered survivors beneath one banner.
Since then, everyone had referred to him by the same title: Sir.
Rook searched through his inherited memories but found nothing more than scattered rumors.
The only truth was that Sir was centuries old.
Standing quietly behind him were two young women dressed in matching silver armor. Their long capes rested neatly behind them while identical swords hung from their waists.
Neither of them moved after the squad entered. Their expressions remained completely emotionless, almost as though they were statues placed there to guard the office.
Rook briefly met one of their eyes before looking away. There wasn’t the slightest hint of emotion in them, only unwavering focus.
Sir slowly placed the report in his hand onto the desk before lifting his masked face toward the squad.
Although his expression couldn’t be seen, everyone instinctively straightened their posture.
"You failed."
His voice wasn’t loud, yet every word carried enough weight to silence the room.
"You were assigned to observe Ozymandias’ territory and return with information. Instead, you engaged them directly, lost the information you had gathered, and nearly lost one of your own."
Nobody spoke.
Sir’s gaze shifted toward Rook.
"Worse still, you brought along someone who had yet to awaken."
Seryn immediately stepped forward.
"The responsibility is mine, Sir."
"No."
Baram lowered his head.
"I was the one who agreed."
"It was my decision," Dren added quietly.
Sir remained silent for several seconds before speaking again.
"You all share responsibility. A squad succeeds together and fails together. That principle has not changed."
The room fell silent once more.
"The punishment will be—" Rook stepped forward before Sir could finish.
Every pair of eyes immediately turned toward him.
He lowered his head respectfully before clasping both hands together.
"I already received my Trait, Sir."
Silence followed.
Even Seryn looked surprised.
Sir remained motionless for several moments before speaking.
"You awakened?"
"Yes, Sir."
"When?"
"Not long after returning."
"What Trait?"
"Elementalist."
This time, even the two armored women standing behind Sir shifted their eyes toward him.
Baram blinked twice before scratching his head.
"You actually awakened?"
"I did."
Seryn stared at him for a few moments before slowly relaxing her shoulders.
"So that’s why you’re acting different."
Sir rested both armored hands on the table.
"Approach."
Rook obeyed immediately.
The moment he stood before the desk, Sir extended one gloved hand.
"Place your hand here."
Without hesitation, Rook did as instructed.
A faint white light spread between their hands before several glowing symbols appeared in the air.
The light remained for only a few seconds before disappearing completely.
Sir withdrew his hand.
"The awakening is genuine."
The squad collectively let out the breath they had unknowingly been holding.
"An Elementalist," Sir repeated calmly. "A rare Trait."
He remained quiet for another moment before looking toward the rest of the squad.
"The punishment is cancelled."
Relief spread across several faces almost immediately.
"However," Sir continued, "this does not erase your failure. You will remain within headquarters until your next evaluation. During that period, no squad member is permitted to accept missions without my approval."
"Understood, Sir," they answered together.
Sir’s gaze returned to Rook one final time.
"As for you, you will report to the training grounds tomorrow morning. There are several matters regarding your awakening that require confirmation."
Rook lowered his head once more.
"Understood, Sir."