The group filed back into the manor, still reeling from the sudden departure of the dragonkin and the revelation about Dona's true nature. As they all took a seat Kojo noticed the questionimg looks directed at him. Aside from a few of them majority didn't know about Dona's true nature. Ovid was visibly shaking probably thinking about how he'd adressed her earlier. Kojo leaned toward and rested his chin on his interlocked fingers.
" Tch. What a pain." He thought to himself.
( Get of your ass and give them an explanation.)
" But they know who she is now so it's cool right?" He asked in his head.
( No. You hid the plan to defend the border from them.)
" I didn't have time today tell everyone. I didnt even tell the duke."
( Why?)
" Because I thought it'd be too much of a hassle and out too much strain in them."
( They don't see it that way. Take a look.)
Kojo scanned the room. All eyes were in him.
( Not revealing the plan and Dona to them will leave a bad impression. Some here one of both occurrences and some know about one of the two. For those in the latter party they may begin to feel that you didn't tell them because you didn't think that they were reliable. This could affect your plan for the long term I'm saving the world.)
" I never said I'd save the world."
( Correction,lazying about.)
Sysia has a point. He sighed then sat upright.
"Okay, let's get one thing straight," he said, addressing the group.
"Yes, Dona was a Demon Lord. I didn't tell you guys because that would cause fear and panic. And it slipped my mind given everything that was going on."
" But You still should have informed us. I understand you worrying about panicking but we leaders would be the only ones to know. What if someone has done something to provoke her?" Altair said. They all murmured in agreement.
" Ok,ok I just thought it'd be a hassle so I thought I cld just leave out that step and blame your misteps on ignorance. She was really chill and she did say she lost her cool that one time she Ended The World. But she's pretty chill so it's all good." Kojo replied.
" She ended the world?!" The all shouted in unison.
" She brought everything back." Kojo defensively raised his hands.
" That's not the point." Sharone said. He glanced at her and sighed rising to his feet.
" Look I know I made a mistake in not telling you guys. Again a lot was going on and I was toi lazy- I mean too busy to say anything. I'm sorry. As a society we should operate on trust and I bypassed that essential part of our life. I promise to tell you about any I developments that may take place in future." He said sitting back down. The group murmured among themselves.
"I know it's a lot to take in, but we don't have time to wonder about it right now."
Kojo turned to the Duke, his eyes narrowing. "So ,Duke, what's the plan moving forward?"
" It'd be nice for you to call me Father in-law some of the time."
" No." Kojo quickly shot down the idea.
" Father this is an official gathering and all formalities should be followed." Adriana said weakly letting out a cough. Rey just rolled his eyes.
The Duke smiled. "You started this whole thing, Kojo. So you're the one who needs to bring it to completion. My job is simply to give the green light."
"You mean you're not going to do anything? You're just going to sit back and let Kojo handle it?" Rey asked.
" Why is anything the matter."
" No Rey said with a sigh." It was as he'd expected. His father was the laziest person in Ekron probably the whole kingdom.
"Fine," he said. "I'll do it."
He heard Adriana cough again and glanced at her. She was visibly weak from the level she'd broken through and Kojo was a bit worried but at the same time extremely curious about this Transcended state she had acquired. Did gaining enlightenment mean she has gained other abilities or did it only affect her perception of things and to what extent did it go.
( She's not in the condition for any questions)
"Don't act like you're not also curious. Well she's not at her best so I'll wait till she's doing better. Then I'll use Scan to appraise her to gain more insight into this and find out if she's the same or her personality changed."
Adriana noticed him staring and smiled at him weakly. Kojo replied with a smile then turned back to the group.
"First I think we need to inform the Capitol about the attack from Decorum. We can't just sit on this information and hope it goes away."
"I agree," Sharone said, nodding. "Especially the goblin nation of Gwaltch.We can't just assume they'll react peacefully to our actions."
"True," Gabbi said. "They may have been rebels, but they're still citizens of this kingdom. It's only a matter of time before an official army comes knocking on our doors."
"And then there's the empire's suspicious activities," Koniko added, her brow furrowed in concern. "We can't just ignore the fact that they're taking supposed "measurements" along our borders."
"Sasha " Kojo agreed. "We need to be prepared for any eventuality. Therea the option of requesting air from the Capitol , but it'll take time for a force to arrive from there."
" Also given the semi- automous government system the kingdom uses it's possible that they won't send help at all until things get dire." Kalori said.
" Then there are local problems aside defense. The Merfolk for instance." Kojo pointed out.
" Yes." Proxima,the merfolk chief spoke up.
" We the merfolk has evolved to be able to stay on land for long durationa after becoming masters subordinates. But we still require a large amount of water to keep hydrated. Many of my subordinates struggled during the hot days and I see them in even more discomfort now that it's winter."
Kojo nodded. "I've been thinking about that. We need to create a stable habitat for them, something that will allow them to thrive in this environment. So, I came up with a plan to kill two birds at once solving the border problem and getting the merfolk a stable habitat."
" And what might that be?" Duke Philip asked.
" I'm going to extend the River Chaim to cover the eastern border, and create a lake at the north of the Elven Kingdom Of Tessaloni." Kojo noticed Lin and Koniko tense up but kept going.
"That way, the Merfolk will have a constant source of water, and we'll have a natural barrier against any potential threats."
" Aside that we can also benefit from the freshwater fish that will appear as a result and this may even give us the opportunity to trade though the last one is quite far fetched."
The group fell silent, considering Kojo's proposal. Finally, Altair spoke up.
"I think it's a good plan. But what about the Nation of Gwaltch. How are we going to defend the north from any potential attacks by the goblins?"
Kojo smiled.
"That's where Lloyd comes in. I have a new idea for the cities layout but I'll go over with him first. Once he has the plans he,Hienz,Glenn and Ovid will carry out the remodeling of the city so I'll deal with the Eastern border and a task force will be set up while all this is being done in the meantime to defend the north. We'll need to be prepared to respond quickly to any threats, and to hold our ground should anything happen. So you guys in?"
"Alright, let's get to work. We have a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it ."
The group nodded in agreement of the plan and the Duke gave Kojo a thumbs up.
With that they delved into the details of the olan, drawing up the logistics logistics of setting up the task force as that was paramount. They'd need to gather supplies, recruit people to carry it out. Kalori,one of the leaders of the gorgon's proposed that forts should be set up around the northern border so aa to define their defense line. Euna ,her sister also added that they should draw up a roster and rotate the force between the forts with those who'd carried out a full rotation going home while a new group goes to fill in at the first.
Rey asked if they should include Carnelia in the plan since they were somehow involved with both the river and the Goblins. Adriana responded that They could write to the Duke of that province but they didn't know if they'd get a favorable response or any response at all. Mekna,Keo,Felix and Fiona appeared with regular intervals bringing the group snacks and beverages.
Lloyd spoke up, his voice filled with enthusiasm. " Concerning reconstruction of the city I'll need to gather materials and draw up the building plans. I don't even know why I'm helping. I'm a man of science not a mason."
" Don't you wanna see modern scientific applications in building construction?" Kojo asked.
That instantly got Lloyd's attention.
" So, about these modern scientific methods..."
" So easy" Kojo thought to himself with a smirk as he projected a map of the province and began pointing out some places to implement his plans.
The discussion took a long time. Five hours had passed before the group was dismissed. Just then a girl burst through the door. All eyes turned to her. She wore a dirty white robe that was torn at the hems and was barefoot. Eden,Mekna,Keo, Mord and Mal instinctively took defensive positions but hesitated when they saw her state. She saw Kojo and tried walk towards him.
" Ko...jo..." she before falling unconscious,her arm outstretched towards Kojo. Everyone stared at her then turned their attention to Kojo.
" Hey I have no idea what just happened " he said raising his arms .
( And just like that,another arc begins.) Sysia said with a sigh.