When A Mage Revolts

"Mage Benjamin, if I recall correctly, General Rexton’s troop base is up ahead. He is a loyal and patriotic general, I think I should try and get in touch with him."

As they drew closer to central of Carretas, the King suddenly walked up to Benjamin to give this suggestion.

Benjamin was slightly surprised.

"Didn’t Your Majesty mention that it has been many years since you last saw these generals?"

The King nodded, "That’s true, but... I still would like to try. If they believe me, it would save you a lot of hassle."

Benjamin thought about it for a while.

Indeed, if they could obtain the support of a general that had significant military power, they would no longer have to hide in the shadows. But Benjamin was still a little traumatized by his encounter with General Stewart.

Would the Church even let them make contact with the generals?

He had this premonition that if they were to go, it would end up being another trap.

"How well does Your Majesty know General Rexton?" Benjamin asked.

"He is a very straightforward person and most likely would not have been persuaded by the Church." The King replied, "His father and grandfather were also generals; because of this, he is extremely loyal to the nation. When Father passed, the officials that supported me were scarce. He was the only one who stood by my side during this difficult period."

Benjamin nodded.

If that was the case then… it would probably be worth the try, right?

After inquiring further on the base, he agreed to this suggestion after thinking it through.

Right now, the Church was using the benefits of being a "state religion" to build churches in every city and to shamelessly preach on the streets; and Benjamin could do nothing to stop them.

A high-ranking official who would openly support them could be the last piece of the puzzle. Coupled with the support of the villages on the outskirts and the word of big-name merchants, it could be just about enough for them to go against the Church.

Therefore, he felt that contacting General Rexton was a risk worth taking.

And so, Benjamin brought his subordinates to hide in the woods. He instructed the mages to direct the group of apprentices and wait in the woods while learning their magic and to make sure not to wander around. He would bring the King to see this General Rexton.

It couldn’t be helped. It was a dangerous plan, so the fewer people involved the better. Benjamin would not risk bringing a decade’s worth of apprentices to see the general.

Moreover, the general’s base was stationed just a few kilometres away from the woods. If anything were to go wrong, help could easily arrive.

"The plain on the east side of the woods is where General Rexton has set up camp." The King started explaining, "The outpost has twenty thousand experienced soldiers stationed within- if we can win them over, then our military strength would be enough to rival even that of Gealorre’s royal guards."

Benjamin flew to the base whilst carrying the King but couldn’t help asking along the way, "These royal guards, can’t Your Majesty just order them around with the royal emblem?"

The King shook his head, "The token for ordering the guards is still in the palace. I escape in such haste that I didn’t manage to bring it with me. Moreover, even if I had the token, there are just too many of the Church’s informants around the area – we would have a hard time getting close to the royal guards."

"Alright then..."

Benjamin could only helplessly shake his head. How disappointing.

It wasn’t long before they neared the campsite.

By then it was nightfall. From the outside, the camp looked huge. A few of the soldiers were guarding the main gates alertly, their eyes darting toward every small movement. There were also many soldiers patrolling within the campgrounds. The security was like a supermax prison.

Benjamin and the King hid behind a large boulder so the soldiers would not notice them.

"So, are we going to walk right in?" The King asked.

Benjamin shook his head, "It’s best not to. Don’t forget that we are the people on the arrest warrant. The Church has also written that one of the culprits looked like the King and had stolen the crown and emblem. If we were to be seen out in the open, they would no doubt identify us as criminals."

"..."

Judging by the King’s reaction, he didn’t take it well being painted as some random bandit that had stolen the crown and emblem. It has been a few days since he first heard the news, but he looked like he was going to explode every single time it was brought up.

However, it couldn’t be helped. The Church was now the voice of the government and they could easily create havoc within the people. Benjamin was already used to this.

Based on the current situation, they would need to sneak in to see General Rexton. Benjamin had already known this, otherwise, he wouldn’t have picked the come during the night.

"Mage Benjamin, can you actually sneak me in?" The King was reluctant.

"We’ll have to try." Benjamin shrugged his shoulders, "Don’t worry, even if we are discovered, we can simply slip away. They can’t catch us when we’re flying."

"..."

The King didn’t look comforted at all.

And so, Benjamin first used the water element sensing technique to scan through the campsite. Then, he sketched a layout of the entire campsite on a piece of paper.

Once the map was sketched, he summoned all kinds of ice drill bits and started digging into the ground.

That’s right, this was how a mage was going to sneak in. He didn’t know the art of invisibility nor possessed the silent footfall of a cat burglar, but it was alright, he could always dig an underground path!

To him, the best way to sneak in was to dig a tunnel that leads directly to the general’s tent. It was safe, effective and direct. Benjamin also used water steam to help soundproof the digging so as to not alert the nearby soldiers.

He used his magic to command ice drills to dig while using the water steam sensing technique to observe maintain their direction to prevent getting lost.

Benjamin was efficient with his work and his rate of digging was quite fast. They arrived below the general’s tent in about half an hour.

The soldiers in the camp seemed normal and did not seem to have noticed Benjamin’s tunnel. After observing for long, to make sure that no priests were laying in ambush, Benjamin determined that there was nothing related to the Church in the camp.

Benjamin let out a sigh of relief.

Perhaps this General Rexton could be reliable.

"It’s right here." Benjamin wrapped up his thoughts and turned to the King, "Once we dig a little upwards, we will see General Rexton."

The King looked a little bitter, "Letting someone see me while I am covered in mud and dirt… I am ruining the royal honour."

Benjamin smiled, "Do not worry, you already ruined the royal honour the moment you were lured in by the Church. This is nothing compared to that."

"Gee… thanks."

And so, with a deep breath, Benjamin controlled the ice drills to dig through the last layer soil above them. After a couple of seconds, a dim yellow light flooded the tunnel and Benjamin used his water steam to drag both him and the King out of the hole.