“Your Majesty the Empress!”
Bianca ran towards Arundel with a beaming smile. Arundel barely managed to keep her balance.
“I missed you!”
Bianca hugged her tightly. Arundel reciprocated the hug.
A wave of red hair filled her vision. It was indeed Bianca.
“I’m here too.”
At the voice coming from the side, Arundel released her hug with Bianca. It was indeed Royden.
“Royden…!”
Arundel touched Royden’s body. He had suffered a major injury to his right shoulder. Reading Arundel’s worried gaze, Royden moved his right arm.
“You don’t have to worry. I’m all healed.”
He smiled warmly as he always did.
“I think we’ve greeted enough, shall we sit down? It seems like the others are waiting.”
At Royden’s words, Arundel nodded with a still flustered face.
As Royden moved out of her sight, people seated at the round table came into view.
Zion was sitting at the head of the table, and next to him were Hills and even Lucas.
‘Lucas is here too.’
Arundel sat down, trying to calm her excited heart. She was still dazed by the unexpected reunion.
“What’s going on?”
Asking as if demanding an answer, Zion opened his mouth.
“The mercenary group that was sweeping the demons in the southern region turned out to be these two.”
Arundel looked at the two alternately with wide eyes like a rabbit. It seemed that Zion didn’t know either.
So,
[Um… let’s see. Ah! The man is a large, dark-skinned knight, I heard. Rumor has it that he travels with a large white dog.]
So this person was really Royden,
[And the woman is, a red-haired magician, I heard. It’s irrelevant, but rumor has it that she’s an incredible beauty.]
So this person was Bianca…?
I really didn’t expect it at all. In just over half a year, they had achieved unbelievable growth.
“Explain.”
Zion spoke towards Royden and Bianca. It seemed like he was heavily implying for them to explain what had happened.
Royden lightly cleared his throat and explained.
“As Her Majesty the Empress last saw, I had suffered a major injury to my right shoulder. But one day, as if I had received the grace of God, I noticeably began to recover from my injury.”
Arundel remembered. At that time, she had prayed hard for Royden, and grace had descended.
The effect varies from person to person, but it seemed that Royden had extremely good luck.
“And then, out of guilt for not being able to deal with a single demon at that time, I only devoted myself to training. There’s no better teacher than desperation.”
Still, it was a remarkable achievement. Arundel covered her mouth with both hands in admiration.
“Amazing. But a Swordmaster…!”
Royden smiled modestly.
“No, the person who’s more amazing than me is Bianca.”
Ah, right. I wanted to hear about Bianca too. I heard rumors that she was a great magician close to the 7th circle.
“I’m similar to Captain Royden. My family fell into ruin, and I had to feed the remaining family members. I really devoted myself only to magic. And after meeting Captain Royden and gaining practical experience, before I knew it, I had become a 7th circle magician.”
Bianca spoke, blushing as if she was embarrassed.
Bianca definitely looked different from before.
Even then, there were times when I could feel a strong core hidden behind her delicate appearance, but now, the solid inner appearance was clearly revealed in her confident attitude.
“Bianca really spoke modestly, but she devoted herself to magic to the point of almost not sleeping.”
Arundel’s chest swelled with pride. It felt like seeing a well-grown daughter.
While clapping, Arundel suddenly became curious.
“How did you two meet?”
“We met in a mercenary group. I joined the mercenary group because I wanted to gain practical experience, and Bianca needed money. Now we have left and formed our own mercenary group.”
Royden explained in a calm voice.
There were still many things I was curious about, but I had to give way for the other people who were waiting blankly now.
“Can we start now?”
Zion opened his mouth as if asking for permission. When Arundel nodded, Sion’s voice flowed out.
“The reason why we gathered everyone here, as you all know, is to specially form a demon subjugation team. First, let me briefly explain about the members.”
Zion looked at the seated people in turn.
“Here is Hills, the captain of the Royal Knights. He is a high-level magician and will be the captain of this subjugation team.”
At Hills’ introduction, Bianca looked a little surprised.
“That person…!”
Come to think of it, the Hills that Bianca remembered was a stranger who had joined by chance on the road.
It would be hard to believe that such a person was the captain of the Royal Knights.
“I’ll explain later, Bianca.”
At Arundel’s words, Bianca barely nodded.
Royden, who seemed to have heard from the prime minister in advance, showed no surprise. Lucas was also quietly listening with his eyes closed.
“And this is Royden. He is a former captain of the Royal Knights. He uses Swordmaster-level swordsmanship, so he will be an excellent combatant.”
Hills and Lucas were meeting Royden for the first time.
Nevertheless, Hills seemed uninterested, only looking down at his own clasped hands. Lucas slightly raised his head and looked at Royden.
“Bianca is a 7th circle magician. She has been in a mercenary group with Royden for a long time, so they should work well together.”
Bianca nodded her head.
Lastly, Zion’s face turned to Lucas.
“Lucas is a high priest affiliated with the Elbis Temple. He can not only use divine power, but also close combat using a spear, so he will be of great help in many ways.”
But Lucas was a bit strange.
A bit cynical…should I say? It seemed like he had a gentle feeling, but his expressionless face was giving off a chill.
“It will probably be a very tough fight.”
Zion spoke as if warning after finishing the introduction.
“But, we’re not forcing a one-sided sacrifice.”
The eyes of the people gathered. First, Zion opened his mouth towards Bianca.
“Bianca.”
“…Yes.”
“If you make a contribution in this subjugation team, I will grant you a title. I will also give you land where your family can live.”
Bianca’s eyes seemed to shine for a moment as she slowly nodded. It was a reward that stimulated her desires well.
And then Zion’s gaze turned to Lucas.
“Lucas.”
“…..”
“The temple will not be closed.”
There was a heavy meaning in his short words.
When did Zion know that Lucas’s temple was in danger of closing? Arundel wondered if there was anything Zion didn’t know.
There was no answer from Lucas, but Zion seemed to have read Lucas’s mind without needing to hear it.
Zion’s gaze, turning his head, was cold.
“And Royden.”
“Yes.”
“There is no reward for you.”
Despite Zion’s cold words, Royden bowed his head calmly.
“Recover your honor in this opportunity.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Their deal ended shortly.
Lastly, there was Hills. He was not a human, so he didn’t need money or honor. What could he offer him?
“Hills.”
Hills raised his head bluntly and looked at Zion.
“I will accept your proposal.”
At the meaningful words, Hills licked his lips and then closed his mouth like a clam.
‘A proposal…?’
Arundel looked at Hills with a puzzled face, but he didn’t meet her eyes until the end.
“Well, let’s start now.”
Arundel’s curiosity was not satisfied, and the meeting started.
I didn’t know that we would start talking so seriously as soon as we met. Because of the situation, it seemed to be going fast.
“Weak demons disappear when their necks are cut or their bodies are pierced, but higher-level demons must be pierced in the heart. Otherwise, they do not disappear.”
Royden’s voice was serious.
They definitely had outstanding experience confronting demons on the scene. Royden and Bianca, and occasionally Lucas, shared what they knew.
‘In fact, there are separate demon experts.’
Arundel looked at Hills. It seemed a bit awkward with Hills since then.
Hills, who seemed uninterested, looked at his nails all the time during the meeting, propped his chin, and let his gaze loose.
“But these days, demons seem a little strange.”
Royden muttered in a serious voice.
“Strange, you say?”
Arundel suddenly spoke.
So far, she had been quietly listening to the conversation because it was about things she roughly knew.
Perhaps she didn’t want to expose her suddenly having power to Royden and Bianca by bringing up the wrong topic.
But she couldn’t help but react at that moment.
The demons were going mad because of what she had done, and she had to be sensitive to that change.
“Yes, it seems that the pattern of their appearances has changed a bit.”
“How so?”
Arundel asked, suppressing her anxiety.
“Originally, demons mainly attacked the outskirts. Even the mad demons, as if they still had instincts, mostly appeared in places where there were no people.”
Royden spoke, deeply contemplating.
“But these days… I get the feeling that they appear in places where there are many people.”
Hills, who had been fiddling with his nails, raised his head.
“Tell me in detail.”
Despite Hills’ rude attitude, Royden answered with an unflinching expression.
“To put it bluntly, these days, they seem to appear a lot in populated areas like cities or villages. And they do so in groups.”
“…That’s strange.”
Hills, who had not been interested in the meeting, muttered with his eyes downcast.
But no conclusion was reached.
“That’s enough for today.”
When no more conversation was going on, Zion stood up from his seat.
“Wait a moment, Your Majesty.”
Royden urgently called Zion. Zion looked at him as if asking what it was.
“Are you… participating in the demon subjugation?”
At Royden’s hesitant question, Arundel tilted her head.
Although Zion had been passive throughout the meeting, she didn’t not understand Royden’s question.
Of course, he would participate, in a dangerous situation that matches the wartime situation, he is the empire’s greatest combat power…
“No, I’m not participating.”
Unexpected words fell. Arundel looked at Zion with a surprised face.
As if she hadn’t heard it wrong, he nodded his head and confirmed it once again.
“I don’t plan to participate in any battles in the future.”
