Author's Note: Welcome back, faithful readers! I have come back to release the newest batch of chapters for the start of the week. This will be the first chapter for today so, look out for the next one coming out later today. Also, in the Author's Note for the next chapter, there will be an important announcement there so, read carefully. Enjoy!
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"We will now start the introductions!"
Here is the part where we will stand up when our names are called. After all, I am the one who said that first impressions are always important as your face and manners will be the very first thing that will be observed by others, not your personality.
"We will now introduce the guests first! From the Kingdom of Etherus, Count Iren Kruger! Due to unexplained circumstances, the Count will be joining this meeting under the King's name!"
An elf with a wizened face stood up at those words.
Odd.
I thought elves were known for their extremely long lifespans. If this one is already visibly old then, he must be at least a few hundred years old, maybe even a thousand.
"From the Republic of Gran Undyes, President Leon Beresto!"
Once those words were called out, a beastman stood up. He had a broad, muscular body and had the features of lion. That was actually kind of obvious due to his name.
"From the Democratic States of Spadagas, influential merchant, Firon, with his assistant, Matz!"
A democratic state? I mean, states? I thought most governments in this world have already adopted governments like monarchy, dictatorship, or republics. I never thought that there would still be democracies. I guess I didn't read enough, have I?
"From the Kingdom of Anastelo, King Mystique von Anastelo and his companion, Duke Greis von Roscelto! With them is the Duke's daughter, Luscia von Roscelto!"
I stand up and bow as politely as I could while staying in sync with my father and uncle. This is very hard as one misstep could lead to expulsion from the room and, I want to know everything. Also, I didn't know my uncle's name was Mystique. I never asked and I never heard anyone use his name before so, it came as a surprise.
Still, my grandparents had weird naming sense. My father's name, Greis, kind of sounds like a real name but, Mystique? Is that really a name for a man? But, it's not like I can say anything when my name is based off of a mythological being. That was when I felt like the 2 kids I saw earlier started to look at me and, when I checked, they were.
"Now that every guest has been introduced, let us introduce the host of this meeting, the current Emperor of the Elysian Empire, Zenos Geminus Elysian! With him are the current prince and princess of the Empire, Kaiser Arkas Elysian and Callisto Ion Elysian! Lastly, accompanying them is Duke Asir Karlisle!"
That was when 4 people stood up. As I expected, the man with golden hair was the Emperor and those were his 2 kids, the prince and princess. The other man, who had black hair and a goatee, was probably the Duke who is one of the most influential in the world: Asir Karlisle.
There really are lots of big shots here who all answered the Emperor's invitation and came here to discuss the world's events.
"Now, let the Retia International Meeting, begin!"
Retia?
Is that the name of the Capital of the Elysian Empire? Oh man. I really am too slow on these updates. I might have focused way too much on my own country that I didn't have the freedom to read about other countries.
"Now, let us begin our meeting. Firstly, I would like to thank all of you for responding to my invitation and using your time for coming here. I promise that time won't be wasted and that we will all come to a solution quickly. Thank you."
The Emperor gave his thanks to everyone else present and we all nodded to his words. Well, let's see how far we can go before I will be inevitably kicked out once they start talking about the important bits.
"So, does anyone have any concerns?"
...
What kind of question is that?!
The only reason we all came here was BECAUSE we had concerns! Is the Emperor acting dumb or is he really like this. I look to his side and see both his daughter and the Duke start shaking their heads at him.
"... To answer your question, Emperor, I would like to say that we ALL have concerns, thank you very much."
The beastman answered back to the Emperor in a somewhat irritated tone. So, he is the hot-headed kind of guy.
"I know that. I just wanted to break the tension so that everyone could start talking honestly. So, to make sure that everyone else does the same, I will go first and explain all of the details as concisely as I possibly can. Earlier, this month, was the highly anticipated and important event called the Proving in the Kingdom of Anastelo. During the event, all of us must have witnessed the horror that unfolded right in front of our eyes as mysterious attackers invaded the city. At that moment, the Champion of Space, Glaive Kaneduro, was at the site and helped the local guards fend off the attackers and capture a few of them. In the end, out of the 12 000 people which were present at the time, nearly 4000 died as a result. Personally, I thought this was really shocking as the attackers were estimated to only number around 800. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
There was a long silence after his speech before the merchant from the Democratic States of Undyes spoke up. I think his name was Firon, if memory serves me right?
"I also believe this to be a great loss for the Kingdom of Anastelo and a huge blow to their security and economy. That is why, I think it is imperative for all of our countries to start fortifying themselves as we could suffer an attack from these people as well. Raise your hand if you agree."
Literally everyone raised their hands to that statement, even Uncle. I look down in thought after seeing everyone else raise their hand and frown. I think this way is too cowardly and that we should try to capture the mastermind behind all of this. Apparently, the Emperor was thinking the same thing as he addressed me directly.
"So, kids, do you agree with these people?"
"Yes."
"Yes..."
"Hmm. Your name is Luscia, correct? You seem to disagree with the opinion of everyone else here. Do you care to explain your thoughts? Or, are you someone who is a bit too nervous for this? Just speak your thoughts and I will make sure no one will react too violently."
I heard the calm and reassuring voice of the Emperor and stand up. After swallowing my fear down, I open my mouth.
"With all due respect, Sir Emperor, I disagree with everyone else's opinion."
"Why do you think so?"
"I think that fortifying our defenses will be... cowardly and futile. Before I continue, I would like to state that I say these things not with the intent to disparage all of your opinions. I think prioritizing the safety of the country and the public is very important. However, I believe it will all be futile as no matter how much you fortify, the enemy will always break through your defenses.-"
"You think a group less than 1000 can break through the defenses of the Etherus Kingdom?! A band of thugs like them will never beat our organized armies!"
"Silence!"
...
A wave of unnerving silence came rushing down on us right after the Count's outburst. You can feel the tension in the air as the others are trying to control their own urge to shout.
"That is an interesting train of thought you have there. Please, continue so that we can all understand your way of thinking."
"... As I was saying, they will inevitably break through our defenses. Quaran has had one of the largest number of guards in history due to there being so many people participating in the event and they were still overrun, even if it was by surprise. Speaking of surprise, they might have someone capable of teleportation if they were able to get in so easily. They may have even planned this as well."
"Which one?"
"This meeting. They must have known that doing something of such a large scale would attract the attention of other countries. They might be trying to make us fear them unconsciously so that we might make a mistake. After all, the real battle always starts in the mind as fear is one of the most powerful psychological factors in a fight. So, I propose that we try to find where they are before they attack us. We will counterattack to make them fear us as well since only 800 came to Quaran. If they had larger numbers, they would have sent even more but, only 800 came. That means, if we combine our forces, we could easily defeat them if we can find them."
...
"An interesting proposal. You have been educated very well as you can understand the situation at such a tender age. Kai, Calli, did you understand?"
""No.""
"Alright. Thank you for your input. You may leave with my own children. Guards, escort them to their designated living quarters!"
"Thank you for listening."
"No problem. By the way, you must have been educated by someone close, like a friend. Otherwise, that way of thinking would never have sunk in to you so deeply."
"Emperor, she is friends with a descendant of the 1st Hero: Alexander Noxien Zetranos."
...
"The 1st Hero... Alright. You 3 may leave now. Let the adults work out all of the kinks now."
That was when I was swept out of the meeting room with the Emperor's kids.