Chương 25: Chapter 84: Mis-Apprehending

Ryland didn't need long at all to identify the main thing missing from all the preparation that the students and Academs and administration were busy with. It essentially boiled down to manpower. Where the preparations should have been allowed several more weeks to slowly take shape, everything now needed to happen with incredible rapidity because the Prime Minister was right on their doorstep. Was already in Arcoryx City as far as Ryland was concerned, going by the aura he kept sensing.

There was food to be prepared for all the important guests that both the city and the academy were supposed to be hosting. A bunch of events now needed to be ready to go immediately, so a lot of organization was condensed into a matter of hours. Tempers were fraying, people were happy to shout over each other, and the whole place was a giant hodgepodge of wild magic and wilder intentions.

Honestly, Ryland hadn't felt this absorbed in the general pandemonium since he had been on the floating fish market islands of Realm 55. Now that was chaos incarnate. It had taken him the better part of a year to decipher how things were carried out in that mess.

"Viren," Ryland said. He and Tallow were carrying boxes to a different location. Despite the boxes containing what looked like glass jars, neither cat nor boy was being particularly careful. Maybe the jars were durable. Who knew? Viren did pause when Ryland called out, however.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where do those need to go?" Ryland asked, indicating the boxes.

"Near where the Magical Acrobatics club is setting up their field and tents and all that." Ryland nodded, then allowed some of his mana to emerge. Glints of tiny blue coalesced around the boxes." [Translocate]." The boxes disappeared into the rift, reappearing farther off at the location Viren had indicated. Ryland made sure they were all correctly placed with the help of [Omniscience].

"Oh, thanks a lot, sir," Viren said. He was clearly resisting the urge to swipe away the sweat on his forehead.

"But you didn't have to do that." Ryland shrugged.

"I've been doing that this entire day." Indeed, that felt like his main duty here. He was practically one of the most advanced pack mules in existence. It made sense, though. With the aid of his rifts, the issue of transport was never an… issue. Just like it hadn't been during the Realmbreaker Wars. What a thing to think about at a time like this. Ryland decided to focus on the matters at hand.

"I sent your things away because I wanted to ask you something," Ryland said. Viren straightened.

"Ask away, sir."

"It seems to me that the most lacking resource here is manpower. I can fix that. But I'm concerned how badly everyone will take my… solution." Viren couldn't keep himself from narrowing his eyes.

"What exactly is your solution, sir?"

"I would simply summon, well, summons. However, I don't want to alarm anyone with said summons. And there are a variety I can call upon, so to ensure minimum unease and consternation, I would just call upon the automatons I trust the most. They have a very unique ability to blend in with their surroundings."

"Uh…" Viren looked uncomfortable.

"I'm not the best person to ask, sir…" That was true. Viren was merely a first-year student at the academy. He held about as much authority as the boxes he was carrying.

"Can you guide me to who is in charge of organizing all this?" Ryland asked.

"I think it's High Academ Sedian," Viren said. Tallow agreed with a meow.

"But I'm not sure where she is at the moment."

"Understandable. No doubt she has been moving around everywhere. But not to fear. I can find her rather easily. [Omniscience]." His spell did exactly as he said it would. Now that Ryland had located the person he sought, he waved farewell to Viren and used [Translocate] to pop out in front of Sedian. She was in the middle of yelling at a bunch of graduate students and generally seemed rather stressed. Understandably so. Unfortunately, Ryland's sudden appearance did nothing to improve her mood.

"Sub-Academ Ryland!" She glared at him with her lone eye. Smudges of dirt stood out starkly on her umber skin.

"You have chosen a terrible time to interrupt. Not to mention the manner of interruption."

"Well, I believe you might forgive me soon." Ryland went on to suggest his idea to Sedian, whose lone eye widened the longer he talked.

"How does that sound?"

"That sounds positively insane, but I suppose I must consider the context."

"What context?"" You. You're the context of your suggested madness, Marionys Ryland." Ryland slowly nodded.

"I didn't hear a no, though." Sedian sighed and closed her eye.

"This has the potential to cause undue chaos. However, it can also be quite helpful. It all depends on how well these automata of yours can function. As you've already seen, we've been pulling in assistance from all quarters already. But what you suggest is on a whole different scale entirely. Concern is reasonable."

"Well, I'm glad you can speak of it freely." Sedian didn't speak for a while. She sported an odd look on her face. Ryland needed a moment to realize that it was almost apologetic.

"I can speak frankly because your actions prove you're a reasonable and trustworthy man." She winced.

"I apologize for my shortness. Everything has been… a little more than I can handle. But I think we should proceed with your idea." Ryland waved away the apology.

"Don't worry, High Academ. My summons have a peculiar ability to meld into their current environment." He stepped away and found some free space. Since he'd be bringing in a lot of automata, some room was necessary. Sedian was right. He had already noted how the suits of armour and various kinds of familiars and summoned creatures were assisting the academy mages in their endeavours. With a reassuring smile at the still-sceptical Sedian, Ryland cast his magic." [Army of The Unconquerable]."

A rift spawned the aforementioned automata, dozens upon dozens of mechanical constructs emerging from the tear in reality. Specifically, from Realm 40. Xyke's Realm. She probably wouldn't be happy about Ryland borrowing so many of her constructs at once, but they had a longstanding deal that made it perfectly reasonable from Ryland's end.

"Greetings!" said the first automaton with a metallic tinkle. Stolen story; please report.

"Greetings!" echoed another. What followed was a chorus of "Greetings!" that echoed through the whole area. Several people were looking in their direction, eyes wide at the sight. Ryland did his best to calm the automata's enthusiasm before they interrupted the entire preparations via the sheer novelty of their being. Sedian's lone eye grew wider as more and more of the automata appeared, their sleek, metal-and-ceramic bodies gleaming in the sunlight.

"I'm not seeing this magical ability of theirs to meld in."

"Properties!" said an automaton.

"Processing properties…"

"We have many great properties," said another cheerfully. A third clapped its metal hands.

"We can do anything!"

"Right…" Sedian said, looking rather doubtful. Ryland cleared his throat.

"This may be a little shocking, so please keep an open mind and try not to… feel too uneasy."

"You lost him again?" an Enforcer asked.

"It's not my fault he just disappears like that!" said the other one observing things from an empty classroom. His Glyphtech spyglass swung around as he tried to find his target.

"He opened another one of those stupid rifts and just popped himself in there." High Warden Rother felt like there surely had to be more important security matters that he needed to pay attention to than a group of Enforcers trying to tail and corner Marionys Ryland. He kept getting messages from his subordinates about various little issues and the like, but they were actually nonissues. Plus, his more senior subordinates were quite good at taking care of things despite his absence.

Really, Rother should be thankful he had excellent people working under him. But the bottom line was that this whole rigmarole was for one man only. One living, breathing enigma of a mage. The first Enforcer's Glyph of Communication flared.

"We've found him," came the crackling but muffled voice of another Enforcer.

"I'm sending you the location. Come quickly." None of them had teleportation magic so they had to go where they had been indicated the normal way. Which brought up hints of inadequacy again, but Rother was getting good practice at suffocating those feelings. Magic prismed around the first Enforcer, while Inscriptions glowed with ferocious light on the second.

"Get ready!" the first one said.

"We're nearly there. Don't interfere, High Warden." Rother's heart beat a fraction faster. Right. He wasn't supposed to act here. All he was supposed to do was ensure that everything remained calm and orderly while the Enforcers went about their business. He had tried to warn them, of course. Because of Alaric's insistence, Rother hadn't told the Enforcers everything, while still trying to be truthful when he had been questioned.

Plus, he was unable to control how much his subordinates had revealed to the Enforcers. Nevertheless, he had quite directly told them that using force against Ryland wasn't the best idea. Clearly, going by the way the two accompanying the High Warden were acting, the Enforcers hadn't really given much credence to his advice.

"There," said the first Enforcer.

"I see him. Tell the others we've got him."

"Wait," said the other a little hesitantly.

"Wasn't he at—""Focus!" Rother was a little confused too because the earlier communique indicated Ryland was supposed to be elsewhere. But his first companion was right. Their target could rift wherever he wished. Of course intelligence about his location had all the chance in the Realms to become outdated.

"Marionys Ryland!" the first Enforcer said, brandishing multiple spell circles about to fire their sparking magic at his target.

"You are to be apprehended immediately. Surrender to us immediately, or face the might of the Enforcers of Androvia." Ryland turned to face them stiffly. There was something odd about him, especially the way he was holding himself. Also, why was he simply carrying those boxes around with his bare hands?

"Surrender?" Ryland turned his head stiffly as well.

"Processing query." The Enforcer came to a pause, rebuffed by the odd reply." What?"

"Processing complete. Surrendering would require giving up current task to accommodate new request. New request is by an entity far, far inferior to master. Conclusion—there will be no surrendering." The Enforcers looked at each other. Masked though they were, Rother could sense their confusion, especially because he shared it too. Why was Ryland speaking in that odd manner?

"If you aren't going to surrender," the first Enforcer said, stepping up quickly towards his target. The other Enforcer prepared supporting spells.

"Then we will be forced to subdue you. Anything resulting from this altercation will be your fault."

"Altercation," Ryland said as the Enforcer drew closer, his magic about to spring forth.

"Altercation will result in interruption of task. Master's task must be completed. Therefore—" Ryland's arm blurred. A metallic crack whipped against Rother's eardrums painfully. He couldn't even turn his head in time to catch the first Enforcer's full flight as he sailed through the air and collided with his compatriot, both of them going down in a tumble. Rother blinked as his breath resumed functioning. Ryland had just punched the Enforcers.

"Why aren't you helping?" the second Enforcer asked as she pushed her companion upright. Said companion had been knocked out by the punch.

"I was told not to interfere," Rother said flatly. And also because he was starting to suspect this Ryland… was probably not Ryland at all. But then, why did it look almost perfectly like the real one? Said fake Ryland picked up the boxes and began hurrying away without a second glance. A couple of seconds later, he was gone. Ryland sneezed.

"Are you alright, sir?" Acrypha asked. She brought out a silver handkerchief embroidered with actual glinting gold.

"Would you like a napkin?"

"No, but thank you." He cast [Translocate] yet again and transported a large number of planks and such that Acrypha was supposed to be getting to the main gate of Arcoryx Academy.

"There, all done. Now you can run off and focus on other matters."

"Like tying up all the balloons?" Acrypha said.

"Or bringing the red carpet from the cleaners? Or suctioning away all the residual mana from all the locations that the Prime Minister is supposed to be visiting?"

"Yes. Those tasks." Acrypha looked up at him flatly.

"Sir, those don't sound very important by any means." Ryland blinked.

"I do admit I'm unaware of the hierarchy of all these preparations that you're undertaking. I've never had to exercise that skillset." Acrypha was clearly not satisfied with that answer.

"Don't you at least think all this is a bit much for one man? Sure, it's the Prime Minister, but still. What exactly is the benefit? Will he really get mad and curse the academy or something if we simply scale things down to a reasonable, manageable level—sir, are you listening to me?"

"Oh, sorry." Ryland smiled apologetically at Acrypha.

"I was distracted by one of the… well, one of the me's." It was just odd seeing himself carrying things in such a mundane manner.

"Can't believe High Academ Sedian suggested transmogrifying the automata into other Rylands." Acrypha turned to face the direction he had been looking.

"Sir, that's not you. That's an Enforcer." Ryland looked up to see that Acrypha was correct. The automaton was already gone, but hot on its trail was indeed an Enforcer. That masked figure in the black-and-gold cloak was unmistakeable.

"I could swear the automaton wasn't carrying off any contraband or anything of the sort," Ryland said.

"Are you wondering why an Enforcer might be following one of you?" Acrypha asked. Her face was neutral as ever, but Ryland was getting better at deciphering the slight teasing lilt of her voice.

"Well, I'm right here. But it seems they have business with one of the fake me's." That's when Viren decided to rush in as well. Tallow was running along behind him too.

"Sir," he said, panting as he came to a stop.

"The Enforcers who came with the Prime Minister were looking for you. But then, they said they had already found you? But I still decided to come over and let you know, just in case."

"Well, we just saw one of the Enforcers chasing one of the sirs," Acrypha said. Viren took a few moments to parse that sentence. But before he could reply, they were all distracted by the appearance of more Enforcers.

"Hey!" Viren said.

"There they are!" Acrypha squinted at him.

"How can you tell? They're all dressed exactly the same."

"Uh…" They decided to spectate the Enforcers who were clearly not paying any attention in their direction. Instead, the duo was chasing another one of the Ryland-automata. Their cries of "Halt!" and "Stop!" were soundly ignored by the construct, who continued racing away from its pursuers with what appeared to be a terrifically large number of streamers.

"Got him!" The cry came from behind, so all three of them turned to see three Enforcers wrestling with yet another fake Ryland they had somehow managed to capture. They were manhandling and hauling away the poor, struggling automaton that only wanted to complete its task.

"What is it?" Ryland asked when he noticed both Acrypha and Viren staring at him.

"Well…" Viren didn't seem to be able to put his thoughts into words. Acrypha was just blunt about it.

"It's odd that they appear to be ignoring the real Ryland."

"The Enforcers are infamously single-minded about their goals," Ryland said.

"Found you!" An Enforcer appeared in their midst, pointing a wildly accusing finger at Ryland.

"I feel like you've found a lot of me," Ryland said. Acrypha and Viren sniggered. Another Enforcer appeared behind the shorter first one, took one look at Ryland, then immediately chopped a hand down on the first one's head.

"Ow!" complained Short.

"That's another fake, you idiot," Tall said.

"Come on, we need to find the real one."

"But I just heard—" Tall grabbed Short by the arm and dragged him away.

"We've been fooled for too long. When we find the real one, I swear…" The two Enforcers hurried away, one trying and failing to make the other listen. Ryland decided against looking at Viren and Acrypha, who, after the departure of their sudden guests, had both burst out laughing. Odd though the situation was, Ryland was glad that at least his students had gotten a chuckle out of it.

"Perhaps I should step up before things spiral out of control," Ryland said. After getting a farewell from both Viren and Acrypha, he got going." [Translocate].