Chapter 240: Return Notice

Chapter 240: Return Notice

Noah did not wait long. Daniel came out first, Claire followed a few minutes later, and Ethan was the last to leave his evaluation room.

Daniel stopped beside Noah and stretched his shoulders. "I’m glad that’s done. I get what they were saying, but I’m not going through the whole thing again right now."

Claire joined them. "Nobody asked you to."

"You were about to."

"I really wasn’t."

Ethan came over from the other side of the corridor and looked toward the exit. "Can we get out of here first? I’m ready to head back."

Noah stood and picked up his bag. "Let’s go."

They had only taken a few steps when the instructor assigned to Section Four came out of one of the rooms and called the remaining trainees together. Noah and the others stopped near the exit with the rest of their section.

The instructor checked the names on his relay before speaking. "That finishes your evaluations. The results will be added to your training records. You also have new instructions on your relays, so check them before you leave."

Several trainees immediately reached for their devices.

Noah opened his training channel and found two new messages.

The first confirmed that Section Four had completed its assignment aboard the starfortress. Their section would return to the academy once processing was finished.

The second message showed their next training topic.

First Threshold Fundamentals.

The notice gave a starting date but no classroom. That information would be sent after they returned to the academy.

Daniel looked up from his relay. "So we’re going back today?"

Claire checked the message again. "After they finish processing the section."

Daniel nodded. "That’s fine. I just wanted to make sure we were actually going back."

The instructor raised his voice before the group started breaking apart. "Return transport will be organized by section. Stay inside the trainee areas until your departure time appears on your relay. Equipment issued for this operation stays here unless your notice says otherwise."

A trainee near the back raised a hand. "Sir, are we going straight back to the academy?"

"Yes. Section Four has no other field assignment."

A few trainees visibly relaxed.

The instructor continued. "Once you arrive, you’re released until your next scheduled lesson. Keep checking your relay in case the academy changes the room or reporting time. That’s all."

The group started moving.

Noah walked with Daniel, Claire, and Ethan toward the main transit section. Military personnel continued moving through the corridors around them. Supply carts passed through marked lanes, soldiers entered restricted sections, and officers moved between command rooms. Section Four had no more orders aboard the fortress, so Noah no longer needed to pay attention to where those people were going.

Daniel put his relay away. "I’m going straight back to my room when we get there."

Claire looked at him. "Are you sure? You’re not going to stop for food first?"

Daniel glanced toward the signs ahead. "Now that you mention it, I probably will."

Ethan looked at him. "So the room comes after food."

Daniel gave him a look. "You both knew what I meant."

They reached a wider corridor where trainees from several sections were moving toward quarters, processing rooms, and staging areas. Large display panels overhead showed section numbers and transfer groups. Section Four was not listed yet.

Claire checked the board. "We’ve got some time before they call us."

Daniel looked toward the dining section. "Good. I’m getting something to eat before we leave."

Ethan went with him. Claire said she still needed to collect her things, and Noah returned to his temporary room.

There was little to pack. Most of his military equipment had already been turned over after the operation. He only had clothes, a few personal items, and his relay charger left in the room.

Noah packed everything, checked the storage compartment, and sat at the desk.

He opened the notice for the next lesson again.

First Threshold Fundamentals.

His father had used the term First Ring. The academy used First Threshold. Noah still did not know whether they were talking about the same stage, and there was no point deciding that before the lesson.

He opened a private note and wrote down what he needed to check once he returned to the academy.

His current Faith Point reserve came first. He had used Faith during the deployment and wanted the exact amount he had left before spending anything else.

Next were the reports from the goblin forces that had returned from Planet X-317. Their officers would have casualty figures, ammunition use, damaged equipment, and reports from the units that had fought the Astragoths.

The last item was planned spending on Eldrath.

That was enough for now. Anything else could wait until the academy explained the First Threshold.

Before leaving the room, Noah checked the portal records from the deployment. The temporary connection used during the operation was no longer active on his side, and the returning goblin forces were already recorded as back on Eldrath.

He opened the equipment records next. Imperial equipment had been separated from the weapons and supplies the goblins had brought with them. Noah compared the fortress record with the last report from his officers. The numbers matched closely enough that there was nothing he needed to correct before leaving.

A new notification appeared a few minutes later.

Section Four had been assigned to the next return group.

Noah picked up his bag and left the room.

The corridor was busier now, with trainees carrying their belongings toward the transfer area. Noah joined them and reached the first checkpoint a few minutes later.

Daniel caught up with him before the line moved. He had two bags over his shoulders.

Noah looked at the second one. "You came here with one bag. Where did the other one come from?"

Daniel adjusted the strap. "Most of it is food."

Claire arrived behind them and glanced at the bag. "How much did you buy?"

"More than I realized. It didn’t look like this much until I packed everything."

Ethan joined them carrying the same bag he had arrived with. "At least you only have to carry it to the platform."

Daniel nodded toward the transfer area. "That’s why I decided to keep it."

Claire looked at him. "You decided that after you bought everything, didn’t you?"

Daniel paused, then gave up trying to defend himself. "That part isn’t important."

The checkpoint opened before the conversation went any further.

The transfer area was larger than the evaluation wing. Marked positions divided the different groups while fortress personnel checked names and relays. Trainees who passed inspection were directed toward a staging area near the transfer platforms.

Noah presented his relay when his turn came. The officer scanned it, checked the name on the screen, and waved him through.

Section Four gathered near the center of the staging area.

They did not wait long. One group ahead of them stepped onto a platform and disappeared when the transfer activated.

A fortress officer approached Section Four after the platform cleared. "You’re next. Keep your bags with you and stay inside the marked area. When you arrive, wait until academy personnel clear you before moving."

The section followed him forward.

Noah stepped onto the platform with the others. Daniel stood nearby, holding both bags against his sides.

The platform activated.

The starfortress disappeared, and a moment later Noah was standing inside one of the academy’s transfer halls.

Academy personnel waited beside the platform and directed Section Four away from the arrival area. More trainees stood behind barriers waiting for other transfers, while instructors checked incoming section lists.

Daniel stepped off the platform and looked around. "This already feels better."

Claire walked beside him. "You complained about the academy before we left."

Daniel looked at her. "I complain about a lot of things. That doesn’t mean I’d rather stay on the fortress."

Ethan nodded. "That actually makes sense."

Noah checked his relay as they followed the others toward the exit. A new academy notice confirmed that Section Four was released for the rest of the day. Their next required appearance was the First Threshold lesson.

Several sections had returned before them, and academy personnel were moving trainees through different exits according to their residential blocks. Section Four was directed toward the eastern exit, where an instructor scanned their relays and confirmed that their return had been recorded.

Noah checked his academy access while they waited. His room assignment, training channel, and planetary management permissions were active again.

He opened the planetary management panel.

Several reports from Eldrath were waiting.

The first covered casualties from the deployment. Another listed ammunition expenditure and damaged vehicles. A third contained recommendations from officers who had fought the armored Astragoths.

Noah marked all three for review.

There were also routine reports from Eldrath. Production figures, military inventories, and civil updates filled the rest of the queue. None of them carried an emergency marker.

He moved the war reports to the top, followed by his current Faith Point balance and planned expenditures.

Before leaving the transfer hall, Noah checked the time listed for the next lesson. It was not scheduled for that evening, which gave him enough time to review the reports without rushing. He saved the lesson notice beside the war reports and set a reminder for the reporting time.

Daniel glanced at the screen. "You’re already working?"

"I’m only sorting the reports."

"We just got back."

"I know. I’m not reading them yet."

Daniel looked at the number of files waiting on the screen. "You know sorting them still counts as work, right?"

Noah closed the panel. "Happy now?"

Daniel smiled. "Much better."

Claire looked at the extra bag hanging from his shoulder. "You bought a whole bag of food. Are you really going to lecture him about how he spends his time?"

Daniel looked down at the bag. "Those are two completely different things."

Claire gave him a doubtful look. "Of course they are."

They stepped outside the transfer building.

The academy grounds looked much the same as when Noah had left. Trainees moved between training halls, transport vehicles followed the roads, and instructors gathered groups near several buildings.

At the next junction, Claire turned toward another path. "I’m heading back to my room. I’ll see you at the lesson."

Ethan shifted his bag higher on his shoulder. "I’m heading back too. I still have a few things to sort out."

Daniel looked at Noah. "Are you coming this way?"

"No. My quarters are in the other direction."

Daniel nodded. "All right. I’ll see you later."

They separated.

Noah continued alone for only a short distance before his relay vibrated again.

The alert tone was different from the one used for academy messages.

He stopped and checked the screen.

A private communication request had appeared. The channel belonged to House Aelwyn.

Noah stepped away from the main path and accepted it.

The Aelwyn family butler appeared on the relay display. The older man wore formal clothes and sat in a room Noah did not recognize.

"Young Master Noah. I was informed that your section returned safely."

"We just arrived. I’m still on my way back to my quarters."

"Then I caught you at a good time. I was asked to contact you once you returned."

Noah noticed the wording. "Who asked you to call?"

"The family."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "That could mean quite a few people."

"I know, but I was asked not to give you a name yet."

Noah studied him for a moment. "All right. What do they need?"

"They would like to meet with you after you settle back into the academy. There is no emergency, so there is no need for you to leave tonight."

"Is something wrong at home?"

"No. If there were, I would have told you immediately."

"Then what do they want to discuss?"

"Your recent training is part of it. There are other matters they would rather discuss with you in person."

Noah looked at the House Aelwyn symbol beside the communication channel. "Does my father know about the meeting?"

The butler paused for a moment before answering. "I can’t answer that without telling you something I was asked to leave for the meeting."

Noah smiled slightly. "So that’s another question you can’t answer."

"I’m afraid so."

"I thought it was worth asking."

"I would have been surprised if you hadn’t."

Noah adjusted the strap of his bag. "When will you have the time and location?"

"I’m arranging it now. I already have your academy schedule, so I won’t set the meeting during a required lesson. Once everything is confirmed, I’ll send you the details."

"That works. I have the First Threshold lesson coming up, and we haven’t been told how long it will run."

"I saw the notice. I’ll make sure the meeting doesn’t interfere with it."

"Then send me the details when everything is set."

"I will. You don’t need to change your plans tonight. Get settled and follow your normal schedule."

"All right. I’ll wait for your message."

The butler gave a small nod. "Welcome back, Young Master."

"Thank you."

The communication ended.

Noah put the relay away and returned to the main path.

There was no emergency at home, and the meeting would be arranged around his training. That was enough for now.

Once he reached his quarters, Noah would check his Faith Point reserve and read the reports from the goblin forces that had returned from Planet X-317. Any major decisions could wait until the academy explained the First Threshold.

The House Aelwyn meeting would come after the butler sent the time and location.