Going back to the mansion didn't reveal any exciting encounters. When they were in the cave, the horses had been left alone without anyone to take care of them, so food was limited to grass.
Sadly, monsters were present in the woods, so some horses were too scared to risk it, making some a bit malnourished, causing them to regularly rest to eat properly. The group didn't mind the extra breaks too much.
Liam had a lot to think about, while Robert and Lucas were teaching each other about certain subjects. Lucas wanted to learn how to use arrays and Robert wanted to know how to use magical muscle strengthening.
Arrays were a lot more complicated than Lucas had hoped, but he understood the basics quite fast. In the end, arrays were a combination of dozens of runes that set one another or off or all at the same time. Lines between the runes created a pathway for mana to flow through.
Arrays had the possibility to do anything, they had unlimited potential, yet all that Lucas could grasp were extremely simple arrays that could do the most limited tasks.
Liam was left alone for now, they talked during their meals, but they wanted to give him some space. His mind was steady, but now that all tension dissipated, he was left with a certain emptiness. To lose your comrades that you had been with for years wasn't easy for him.
The two mages didn't see him cry once, but they imagined that he had to have cried when they weren't looking. Luckily Liam still had his family, otherwise, he would have truly broken down. Liam was a normal man, not a mage that lived for centuries or someone who was extremely determined, he was a humble knight, nothing more.
Time passed and they eventually reached the mansion. It took longer than expected, but they didn't care about that, they were just happy to be back. Even Lucas had to admit that he was glad to see it again, knowing it was probably not going to last. For the last few days he had been sleeping in the cart, and wood wasn't necessarily the most comforting. Now he could finally sleep properly again.
They were called into the baron Havi's office again. Venion stood next to the lord with Liam. Robert, and Lucas sitting opposite of him. The baron stood up and looked at his own son. "How is it that you three were the only ones that survived? Lucas, tell me what happened.", he obviously targeted Lucas, after all, he couldn't lie due to his contract.
"Yes, my lord.", Lucas felt compelled to speak, but he still had some leeway in his words. If he simply went over the entire story, his usage of Dark mana would be known, and then he would never see the light of day again. The baron wanted to know what happened, and there are a ton of ways to speak the truth without actually stating it.
"We had been clearing the mine at a stable pace before we found a special kind of monster. It was a lot stronger than any other spider. It killed many of the soldiers, and we were only capable of defeating it thanks to the sacrifices made by the soldiers. During the fight the monster hit the walls a few times, making the cave somewhat unstable. Not long after a part of the mine collapsed, which killed many monsters. My apologies for losing all the soldiers and a shaft of the mine."
Lucas spoke in a clear voice, not showing any kind of sympathy or worry. He stated it firmly to remove any kind of doubts.
After he was done, both Liam and Robert had a strange look in their eyes, but they hid it as quickly as possible. They didn't know exactly what was happening, yet they didn't want to interrupt Lucas or the baron.
"I see, it is truly a sad occurrence, they had been trained and everything. Liam, make sure you have a new platoon by the next month, you can ask the treasurer about the financial side. And don't worry about the cave, we'll gather enough 'miners' that will open up the path again. Now, my son, did you learn a lot during this expedition?"
'What an absolute moron.'
'Not everyone can be smart you know;'
'But still!'
The baron didn't even question Lucas's statement, he merely accepted it as truth. While Lucas couldn't lie, there were plenty of ways to twist the truth. All what Lucas said happened, just not the way the baron interpreted it. Lucas just relied on the fact that the baron couldn't think things through.
Venion on the other hand started to get a little skeptical, he was a mage himself and could detect things others couldn't. Lucas saw his critical look before restricting his aura to become a lot less pronounced.
Yet that tipped Venion off even more. The good thing was that he didn't say anything, he merely looked at Liam and Robert before closing his eyes. Robert talked about what he had learned and emphasized the fact that he grew stronger from the experience. That was the goal of this entire expedition in the first place, if he didn't reach his father's expectations, he would've been furious.
"Alright, I think that you all deserve your rest now. Lucas, I have to thank you, there is only a single mine left. You have done a lot for my family, even if you're the guardian of our lineage, you still deserve a reward. What do you want?"
'If we ask for something big, he'll either deny me or instruct us to clear the final mine for that.'
'If you dare to ask for too little, we'll lose such a good opportunity! Don't screw it up now.', Lucas had to think hard about what he would ask for. "I'm sorry my lord, I cannot think of anything right now, could I ask for you to gift me with money? So that I may buy something later?"
"Of course, I don't really mind, I'll gift you a reward adequate for your achievements. Go now, leave, I have more important matters to attend to."
"Yes, my lord", all three left the office, but Venion asked Liam to come to his study. That sign tipped Lucas off, 'Shit, did he see something? Did he figure it out?'
'We don't know that for sure.'
'I don't care, no 'probabilities', we don't take such a risk, get a move-on!'
Robert looked at Lucas, he was still curious about what happened during the confrontation with his father. To Robert, what Lucas said was the truth, but so twisted and filled with holes that it almost seemed like a lie.
Before he could ask though, he was called back by his father. It seemed that he still had a few questions left, but wanted to keep that private. The group went on their separate ways.
Robert was alone now in the room with his father. After the expedition, Robert found that he placed more importance on how Lucas thought about him than Havi. Facing his father, he steadied himself.
"What is it, father? Is there something I need to do?"
"Not exactly son, I was just wondering, do you think you are ready to face your next trail?", Havi had a serious look on his face. Robert couldn't possibly think what was in store next for him. There was a final, biggest, mine that someone had to clear, but that shouldn't be the task of the young master of a baron. Training in expeditions is normal, but not twice in a row. Robert couldn't fathom what his father expected from him, but he believed himself to be capable enough.
"I'm ready for anything father."
"Good, the next battlefield is a bit abstracter, you see, there is a ball next month. A gathering of our neighbors and a few nobles closer to the capital. I want to go there", Havi took a breath before continuing "So you can find a fitting wife."
"What???"