I woke up early in the morning to prepare to head to The Graendall headquarters. Last night, I received a phone call from the device placed on the small table in the lounge. Grelmure informed me that tomorrow morning I had to go to the headquarters, and he also gave me directions on how to get there.
I cooked breakfast and while enjoying it, I thought that at last I could get closer to Hellraider. During my time in the realm of hell, it was almost impossible for me to do that; even before I could utter a single word, he already intended to kill me. Now we were both joining this military order. Hellraider seemed to have undergone a significant change since Gruzhnil came to know him. Although I felt he would become colder toward me, he no longer directly endangered my life.
I left the house and headed toward a place like a public bus stop. The futuristic buses I had seen yesterday and most importantly, they were completely free of charge. I enjoyed the scenery of this city which different from the city where I lived. The distance to The Graendall headquarters was quite far, so I had to change buses several times.
After arriving, I walked a short distance and could already see a large, magnificent castle that served as the main headquarters of The Graendall. Many military shuttles could be seen flying above the building. I approached the soldiers guarding the large entrance gate. They asked what business I had coming here. I honestly said that Grelmure had called me last night. One of the soldiers entered the post, seemingly to verify my statement.
After a while, he returned and said he would escort me inside. I walked across the front courtyard of the headquarters building. Compared to the military base in my country, The Graendall's was larger and more unique, resembled futuristic Roman architectural style. In the middle of the courtyard, I saw a large human statue that looked like a Graendall warrior from ancient times, stabbing a demon-like monster lying sprawled on the ground with a spear. I felt familiar with who this figure was, but I couldn't quite remember clearly.
"Who is that statue, sir?"
"Haven't you ever been to school before???"
I was somewhat shocked by his question. I frankly explained that I was not a native of this place and had only been here for a few days. The soldier fell silent and thought for a moment. Suddenly he apologized to me for having just behaved rudely. He then explained that the figure was the founder of The Graendall and the Grivendal Empire, Grhemolus. He didn't explain further, and if I wanted to study more, I could go to the central archives.
We continued walking inside. I suddenly remembered that the figure was the same as the image located in the throne room of Emperor Gregustus. Behind his seat, there were two figures made of glass-like ornaments, as if guarding the imperial throne. On the right was depicted a golden knight-like figure with large wings on his back and both hands holding a sword. On the left was the figure I now knew to be Grhemolus, holding a spear colored red like blood. I didn't remember those angel figure being present in the lore of The Mayhem game. Perhaps I would find him in the central archives.
As I walked through the corridors of the headquarters, I was once again left in awe because what I had just been thinking about was also visible here. Besides the symbols and statues of lions, images of those two figures appeared several times here. I was very certain that they were the most fundamental and primary symbols of The Graendall. Finally, I arrived at a room. When we entered, it turned out to be Gruzhnil's workplace.
He immediately greeted me and invited me to sit down. He immediately said that Hellraider had been given a residence at the foot of the hill behind the headquarters. I felt happy that he had been given a house like mine as well. However, on the other hand, I wished he could live in a quiet place without being constantly monitored by the military order. Of course, I could not voice my opinion directly.
"We, the leaders of The Graendall, have already devised a scheme regarding what you and Sir Hellraider will do once you become part of this order. First, we will provide you with education to understand The Graendall and the Grivendal Empire. Johann will learn first, and the next day you will teach it to Sir Hellraider. The second scheme is that you and Hellraider will be given direct military training according to the applicable regulations. Perhaps the training methods for you and Sir Hellraider will differ according to your respective roles. After everything is completed, both of you will officially become part of The Graendall and be ready to be deployed anytime and anywhere." Gruzhnil explained.
I listened carefully and this was an important starting point for my and Hellraider's presence here. I felt as if I had been entrusted once again by the Army in my own world. The difference was I can observe Hellraider more often. I saw no hidden intentions directed at me. Honestly, I was traumatized by the possibility that there might be someone like Simone here who would later 'discard' me.
After that, Gruzhnil escorted me to a fairly large room. The room contained benches and tables arranged in an almost semicircular shape, divided by two stepped stairways descending downward, with a stage and a large monitor at the center front. There were also many ornaments characteristic of The Graendall military order. On the left and right sides of the main stage, there were same images of two influental figures.
Someone who appeared to be an teacher was already there. I met him and for the entire day I listened to his material. I felt as if I were attending college again, an opportunity I had never obtained in my own world due to my obsession with The Mayhem game, and now I was getting it inside the world of the game itself.
The teacher was quite strict but still kind. I was given break sessions with other soldiers in the main hall of the headquarters. While I was receiving the material, their writings looked like a mixture of my national language and Latin, with several alphabet letter forms made unique. It was different with inside the gameplay where they used original Grivendal letters which looked like magical runes.
After finishing, the teacher gave me a tablet for accessing the materials again as a mobile phone between me and the headquarters. He asked me to come again the next morning for delivering the materials to Hellraider. When I left the headquarters, the sky had already turned to afternoon. I returned home by bus again. I also planned to review the materials on the tablet so I could convey them to Hellraider more concisely.
The next day I came to the headquarter's theater room, I saw that the teacher was already present again along with Gruzhnil and Hellraider. The instructor invited me to directly present the material I had learned to Hellraider. When I spoke to him, I saw that his facial expression looked serious as he paid attention to me. He didn't speak or ask me anything. I thought that was reasonable because Hellraider was a true warrior. Today I delivered the material in a shorter time, so it was completed by lunchtime.
The teacher and Gruzhnil praised the way I presented the material according to Hellraider's needs. Gruzhnil invited us to have lunch together in the hall. Hellraider sat across from me at a slight distance. When I looked at his face, he turned out to be glancing at me as well. Spontaneously, Hellraider immediately turned his face away again, and so did I. My heart beat a little faster. Was he finally starting to accept me?
I continued this activities for more than a week. Actually, I wanted to visit Hellraider's residence located behind the headquarters. During a break, I managed to meet Gruzhnil to convey this wish. At first, I thought he would politely refuse with a certain reason. Unexpectedly, he invited me there while break. I felt very happy and curious about Hellraider's residence.
I waited in the headquarters hall while looking through the contents of my tablet while Hellraider had already returned to his house. I observed that the operating system on the tablet was quite unique, as if I were accessing intelligence agent technology. Gruzhnil then approached me and we immediately left the headquarters with vehicle similar to a go-kart, but once again the wheels were replaced with rocket thrusters. He said that later I could use this too.
"Do you often visit Sir Hellraider's residence alone?" I asked curiously.
"This is already the third time, Johann. Honestly, every time I go there, he always does the same thing repeatedly in his front yard. You will see later," Gruzhnil said.
I was curious about Hellraider's activities when he was at home, considering that his entire life had been spent slaughtering monsters in hell. When we arrived at his residence, what Gruzhnil said proved to be true. Hellraider was in the front yard of his house.
He looked serious as he trained using a weapon like a spear.